Long Road Home
by Prestige Productions
Summary: Following Conversations of the Heart Sora finds himself still stranded in Remnant, although now he's got a furry little sidekick. Follow this odd pair as they travel around Vale investigating the White Fang, dealing with life on the road, saving the day, and maybe even a little romance. *Updating soon*
1. Heist

_**Well this was a long time coming, I had no idea Conversations of the Heart would take off the way it did to the point that people demanded a sequel. Well unlike Wade Barrett I got some GOOD NEWS for ya!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY's owned by Rooster Teeth, Sora and Kingdom Hearts by Square Enix**_

Sora and his best friend Riku would find themselves standing inside the mysterious tower of the great wizard known as Yen Sid, called there after the events of the duo's battle with Organization XIII to undergo the Mark of Mastery and become true Keyblade Masters.

 _" As a Keyblade Master, Xehanort had a gift like few others... in many a guise, he has clashed with protectors of the light—Keyblade wielders like yourselves. And mark my words—he will trouble us yet again."_ The wizened old man had spent a good portion of time explaining what he knew of this mysterious Seeker of Darkness: So consumed was he in his quest for knowledge concerning the Keyblade War that he left the post as a Master who taught others and instead became someone who traveled the worlds, however somewhere along the way he began taking drastic steps in order to get his answers: from taking the body of a younger Keyblade Master candidate named Terra to extend his life span, as well as experimenting upon innocent people to spread the darkness from world to world. Including his own home world of Destiny Islands.

Sora sometimes still dreamt of the stormy night that would go on to change the lives of himself, his two childhood friends Riku and Kairi, as everyone involved had been swept away to different worlds entirely in the beginnings of what would be an epic journey for him.

But this conversation was nothing new to the spiky-haired young man, it had been a part of a recurring dream he had been having even landing in this unfamiliar world known as Remnant, far from actually returning to Yen Sid's tower after finally completing his training in the sleeping Traverse Town. But before he could get too wrapped up in how strange his situation was, Sora would immediately find himself thrust into action as he would defend a local shop from a rather cookie-crazed young woman known as Ruby Rose.

 _"Ruby, I wish I knew where you were right now."_ The Keybearer would look down at the Corgi known as Zwei trotting quietly beside him, he had been separated from his crimsonette-haired owner for a couple of hours now but rather than being upset over the situation he seemed intrigued at the city around him and seemed ready for adventure. "Man, this place is huge. It could take us hours to search the city for any sign of Ruby." Sora would take note of the buildings and structures around him, in the Sleeping Worlds he had uncanny agility and the ability to bounce and vault from building to building like some kind of comic book hero.

But that was in a world of dreams, and his fights with Ruby had proven that even though he was resoundingly stronger then when he had decided to resume his training in the sleeping worlds he was very much now in a world rooted in reality. "Still, it's bound to be a lot easier than walking the streets like this. Sora would nod his head in determination as he knelt down to scoop up the Corgi, only for his four-legged friend to begin running forward and barking urgently. "Hey, Zwei wait up!"

The spiky-haired young man would run after his furry companion, his pace quickening as sounds of panic and people calling for help could be heard up ahead as Zwei's small form finally came into view but so did the sight of another local shop under attack. Only this time the perpetrators were heavily armed and wore strange masks over their faces as the loudly herded the few hostages they had inside.

 _"This isn't good, certainly not another Ruby ambush."_ Sora would summon his Keyblade into her hands as Zwei let out a whine of concern, looking up at his new friend then back at the chaos unfolding before them. "Stay here Zwei, it could get ugly in there." The little dog would sit patiently as the azure-eyed young man slowly made his way over to what was more than likely a robbery in progress, members of the White Fang busy loading a truck belonging to a moving company full of stolen Dust crystals.

"Alright boys, hurry up and load up these crystals onto the truck we still have two more places to hit up!" The WF member standing by the truck would gesture for his cohorts to speed up the process, unaware of the spiky-haired Keybearer currently standing behind him.

"Hey! I don't know who you are, but put down the stuff and let these people go!" Sora would ready himself for a fight as the White Fang member turned around at his sudden exclamation, he certainly wasn't expecting anyone from the authorities to come around at this late hour (especially given that their "tech guy" had disabled the alarm.) but upon seeing Sora he would relax his tensed stance and laugh softly. "Isn't it a little late for you to be out at night kid? He would snort and ruffle the Keybearer's brown hair with a grin, even as Sora pulled away with an indignant look upon his face as the armed man started laughing harder. "Seriously runt, don't you have school tomorrow? Go on home already!"

The azure-eyed Keybearer was so incensed at the man's mocking that he would deliver a swift backhand to the armed man, sending him into the side of his own getaway truck and knocking him out cold.

"Well…that was convenient." Sora would carefully make his way towards the entrance to the Dust shop and ducking below the window as another goon began making his way out, albeit empty-handed as he peered outside.

"Everything okay out there Perry?" The masked henchman would step outside and look around for his cohort, aiming his weapon around the area as he crept closer towards the truck and finally found his unconscious friend down on the ground. "Aww son of a- Perry's down!" The White Fang member would gasp upon seeing Sora running toward him and knocking his weapon aside with the Keyblade, and then dropkicking the poor soul onto the ground before shifting his Keyblade into its twin pistol form just in time for two more White Fang members to make their way outside with weapons raised. "Who the heck are you, some kinda do-gooding human?!"

The young man would cock his head quizzically at the statement, keeping his weapons trained on them as they did the same. "Well..yeah, aren't we all human?" The two White Fang members would exchange looks between one another before laughing uproariously, lowering their weapons to remove their masks and show themselves: The one on the left was a rather scrawny man but with a small pair of deer antlers protruding from atop his head, while the female on the right revealed a forked snake tongue as she appraised her new prey. "S-s-so human, sstill think we're equal?"

Sora would feel himself tremble slightly as he faced down the two henchman, not entirely certain of what was going on. "Just what kind of world did I step into? Since when do people have animal parts?" His mind would think back upon his first few moments in Vale, indeed he did catch wind of some people with animalistic features but only now was he beginning to realize how different this world was compared to others he'd been to previously. _"Sheesh, I can't exactly tell what's worse in this situation: All the singing and dancing I had to go through in order to help Ariel land her prince, or the fact that I'm basically spazzing out over dealing with a small group of thugs. Come on Sora, you've faced down Heartless worse than these guys!"_

The Keyblade wielder would smile suddenly before disappearing in a burst of speed, leaving the two masked Faunus visibly confused at the sight before them.

"Missing something guys?" The Keybearer would appear behind them with their weapons in hand, smirking before tossing them up into the air and blasting the two goons down to the ground unconscious. "Don't worry, it'll only sting for a while once you two wake up." Sora would carefully move further into the shop seeing the hostages huddled together out of fear, putting a finger to his lips and signaling as he slowly made his way to the back of the store. _"There can't be that many of these guys left: I knocked one out by the truck, one more after that, and then two by the front door._ "

Doing a quick round of mental math, the Keybearer would smile confidently, suddenly liking how the odds were in his favor as he moved forward towards the door ahead and reached for the handle only to freeze up when he heard a mysterious grinding noise coming from the other side. "What in the world?" Sora would leap back in time to narrowly avoid a chainsaw making its way through the heavy oak door, as well as the hulking figure that was wielding it with a malicious smirk upon his face. "I'm guessing you're the brains of this operation!"

The hulking Faunus would take a step forward while holding his saw level to the young man in front of him. "Must be my lucky year: First I get a chance to carve me up a Schnee, now I get to tear up some wannabe Huntsman." He would snarl and take a swing at the Keyblade Master-to be, only for Sora to block the chainsaw with his weapon and sending a shower of sparks around the area as the young man grit his teeth in an attempt to avoid being horribly bifurcated.

Unbeknownst to him however, a familiar little Corgi had decided to follow the young man inside and upon seeing the hostages decided to give a soft bark before gesturing to the doorway with its nose.

"I..think that dog is telling us that it's safe to exit the building. Is that right boy? Is it really safe?" A balding man would sigh in relief as Zwei gave another soft bark and gestured toward the door with his nose, even as the other hostages watched skeptically. "Now's our chance, half of you go with the pooch and go for help. The rest of us will help the spiky-headed fella finish up with the guy looting the safe!"

The other hostages would look at the older man in stunned silence before getting up and making their way out of the store, not a single soul staying behind to lend a hand as the older man stood up slowly and summoning a cane from out of thin air and smiled. _"Truly, people's selfishness never ceases to amaze me."_ The would be hostage would begin making his way towards the back safes, not expecting to hear another bark as the Corgi would rush back into the shop and past the old man's legs. _"Hmm, perhaps he senses his master in some sort of peril. Most unfortunate indeed."_ The old man would pocket a blast Dust crystal and set it into his cane, not knowing whether it would be enough to aid the brave young man in his struggle.

Sora knew he was in a bad way, barely managing to avoid being carved up by the White Fang Lieutenant as he leaped from wall to wall of the safe room while peppering him with light bullets to very little effect. "Geez, this guy's like a brick wall: I keep shooting him and it barely does anything!"

The Faunus would smile as he looked around at the collection of crystals he had already taken in the metal case by his feet, the Keybearer's attacks did little to slow him down and like his battle with the heiress half a year ago it would only be a matter of time before he got a hold of him too.

"You should really learn to quit while you're ahead little boy, your little pea shooters can't do anything to me." He would swing his chainsaw at the wall that the spiky-headed boy was running on, even as Sora was quickly trying to formulate a plan to wrap up this fight. "You can't run forever you little gnat, eventually I'm gonna hack off those little chicken legs and-" The Faunus wouldn't get a chance to finish his sentence before the Keybearer would freeze the hulking man's legs to keep him in place, knowing that there was no way that he could free himself without causing harm. "Y-you little sh-Argh!"

He would drop his chainsaw suddenly as he slumped forward into unconsciousness, leaving Sora face to face with one of the hostages from earlier, earning him a surprised and grateful smile as the old man leaned upon his cane with a quiet smirk of his own. "I'm glad to see you're okay, did everyone else make it out?" The old man would nod quietly before removing the bald cape covering his silver hair and sliding on a pair of glasses, leaving the Keybearer in a state of shock as the man took a step forward.

"You did very well considering the odds that had been placed against you, but then again such a feat is to be expected from one who bears the Keyblade."

Sora's azure eyes would widen in shock that this man would know anything about the Keyblade, much less the fact that he was being so calm about it. "How do you know about the Keyblade, just who are you?" Before he could ask anymore questions, a blonde woman holding a riding crop would enter the back room with a calm, calculated look in her green eyes.

"We'd like you to come with us now, I imagine both sides have questions for one another at the moment." The woman would watch quietly as Zwei trotted into the room and made his way over to Sora and sat down quietly, looking up at him with a whimper of curiosity. "A friend of yours?"

The Keybearer would nod in reply as he knelt down to stroke the Corgi's head reassuringly, even as he regarded these strangers with guarded skepticism. "Friend of a friend actually, you two wouldn't happen to know someone named Ruby Rose would you?"

 _ **Truly our hero seems to find trouble wherever he and his furry companion go.**_

 _ **Now for some quick notes: Unlike the previous story, this isn't a one shot..it's going to span quite a few chapters as it covers Sora's activity during the events of my RWBY plotline (From Conversations to Dissonance)**_

 _ **There will be involvement from other characters in both series, our hero's going all over Vale to meet friends and antagonists alike and who's to say his own buddies won't eventually come looking for him? Or even his enemies?**_

 _ **Heavily debating on whether there should be a pairing, if you want to help recommend one then I have a poll for that, don't see a female you like? Let me know and I may consider adding her, said poll will remain open til the last day of June.**_

 _ **OC involvement is still up in the air, and no, before people start asking: Sora WILL NOT HURT HIM. Dislike my OC all you want but I won't kill him to please the masses**_


	2. A Bigger Problem

_**Gah, this would've been out yesterday but mother nature decided to bring on the rain and threaten to cause a blackout, so here's Chapter 2**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

As the headmaster of Beacon Professor Ozpin was tasked with making sure that his students left the Academy is a much better state then when they first came in, that meant they were well-trained Huntsman and Huntresses, well-rounded people in a social sense, and prepared to lay down their lives for others when the time came. But as he looked upon the spiky-haired Keybearer sitting inside the interrogation room, playing with the little Corgi that had been accompanying him for what he assumed was the entirety of his time here and wondered if he could apply the same kind of mindset to him as well.

"You do realize that this could probably go a lot faster if you actually went in there and spoke with him, he may be a Keybearer but he's still a boy Ozpin." Goodwitch would watch the duo carefully, smiling as Sora was busy giving his furry friend a good old fashioned belly rub. "Also, I think Ruby would like very much to see her dog once again."

Ozpin would sigh and look into the interrogation room, fortunate in the fact that while they could see him the opposite wouldn't hold true as evidence by the young man looking around in confusion. "I assure you Glynda, I have every intention of reuniting Miss Rose with her pet. But the fact that a Keybearer has arrived here in Remnant does not bode well for any of us, and until we can perceive that the only thing we truly have to worry about are the creatures of Grimm.."

The silver-haired man would leave his words hanging in the air, taking his cup of coffee and entering the room, just as the dog barked suddenly to alert his friend to Ozpin's presence. "It's good to see that you're adjusting well to your current situation my Key wielding friend, most people would be understandably upset at being suddenly detained by outside forces."

Sora would sigh as he turned to face Ozpin, not wanting to completely lose his temper over the situation. It hadn't been the first time he had been jailed upon arriving in a new world, but usually he had friends who were often nearby to help spring him loose.

Well, it was either that or some major disaster happened and gave him a convenient out.

"Why am I here, and who are you? I thought you said we were going to being seeing Ruby." The azure-eyed young man would watch quietly as the silver-haired man sat down across from him, taking a sip of his coffee before setting down his mug and giving a tight-lipped smile. "Aren't you even going to say anything, like how you know about the Keyblade?!"

The wizened Headmaster would simply smile again and fold his hands together as Sora simply sighed in exhaustion and sat back down, even as the Corgi whimpered upon sensing the anxiety in the room.

"Would you believe me if I were to say that you aren't the first Keybearer to visit our world?" Ozpin would gently push forward a file towards the spiky-haired young man, watching as he opened it cautiously before pouring over the contents and watching as his eyes slowly began to widen in recognition. "Do you recognize either of the individuals in those photos young man?"

Sora would sigh as he closed up the file and slid it back towards Ozpin with a dejected look upon his face, he remembered his run in with both Xemnas and the other members of the Organization while traveling throughout the Sleeping Worlds during the Mark of Mastery exam. "I recognized the one in the black coat, and I know that if one of them are in this world then that means bad things are bound to happen." Sora's gaze would go hard, knowing that the Organization usually didn't meddle in other worlds unless they served to gain something out of it.

 _"But I don't understand, based on what Riku told me Xehanort wasn't finished gathering his thirteen Darkness's to counter the Seven Guardians of Light: Me, Riku, the King, his missing friends, and…"_

His brow would furrow at the possibilities of who might be able to fill the final spot in the Guardians in their future clash against evil. "Well, there's always Kairi. According to Riku she's able to use a Keyblade..somehow." Sora's mind would keep working, forgetting for the briefest of moments that Ozpin was still observing his every action. "I guess if it comes down to it then Axel can fill in the last spot, hopefully he's finally gotten a handle on summoning his Keyblade before then."

Ozpin would simply smile quietly to himself as Sora's face contorted into a frown of concern before quietly clearing his throat to get the young man's attention. "Perhaps I should clear the air and put your mind at ease young man, I have no intention of keeping you imprisoned here." This would pique the Keybearer's attention as the light of excitement began burning brightly at the prospect of being freed. "But I had hoped you would be willing to help us with a problem that we have been encountering as of late, one that concerns your dark-coated antagonist." The Headmaster would remove his scroll from his breast pocket and play back the footage that Qrow had sent to him less than a week ago, gesturing for the azure-eyed young man closer so he could see all as he began showing the footage.

Sora would lean in closely as he watched a heavily forested area being overrun by strange creatures of darkness, growls and snarls being heard almost immediately as the viewpoint switched to a group of soldiers doing their best to fend off the beasts with their rifles and various other weapons. "What are these things? They're not Heartless, but they definitely look like they can be just as dangerous." A man with a massive scythe would leap into the frame, decapitating one of the larger creatures with ease before rushing forward after the rest.

"They are known as the creatures of Grimm, they have walked the lands of Remnant for as long as there has been recorded history. There was a time where they had pushed us to the brink of extinction, until mankind finally discovered our salvation..in the form of Dust."

Ozpin would un-pause the footage before Sora had a chance to give any sort of reaction to this revelation, leaving him to watch as the soldiers seemed to finally relax as the Grimm bodies remaining faded into nothingness.

 _"Gentleman, I applaud you for having endured the first wave."_ A cloaked figure would step into the pool of moonlight nearby, hands behind their back as some very familiar creatures trailed behind them.

"The Heartless!" Sora could feel his fingernails dig into the wooden table as Shadows, Soldiers, and various other spellcaster types also appeared into view with the familiar Emblems in plain sight. "When did THEY get here?!"

The young man would watch on as the soldiers did their best to fight off their new enemies, the magic users easily dodging the bullets while the melee types moved in quickly and dispatched the brave men. Their bodies disappearing as hearts floated up into the sky of Remnant with more Soldiers rising in their place, the cloaked individual seemingly pleased with their progress before summoning a Dark Corridor and stepping through it alongside the Heartless as the footage suddenly came to a stop.

Ozpin would retrieve his scroll and look at Sora shrewdly with an eyebrow raised questioningly, watching as his expression became crestfallen even as the Corgi nuzzled his leg in a vain attempt to try and raise his spirits.

"I do believe it's time the two of us decided to compare notes on our perspective enemies."

Sora would relent and look down at Zwei. The Corgi doing his best to keep his spirits up even as the atmosphere in the interrogation room seemed to grow more somber with each passing minute.

"The Heartless are the embodiment of the Darkness in mankind's hearts, like your Grimm they've been around for as long as other Keyblade Masters can recall. Their main purpose lies in finding the heart of whatever world they're in and shroud it in darkness and further expand their numbers until all the worlds are drowned in it."

Ozpin would nod slowly as he thought of what the consequences might actually mean for Remnant's current situation, after seeing the Heartless quickly dispatch some of Atlas' better trained soldiers and what became of those poor men and women afterward. _"They multiply like locusts, a plague spreading upon our world without mercy and perhaps even no way to stop it, not even with_ _ **her**_ _ability."_ The Headmaster would look to the Keybearer with a now-shared look of concern, standing up and looking at the spiky-haired young man eye to eye as. "Since you know of this..Heartless, I'm assuming your Keyblade is pivotal to fighting them?"

Sora would hesitate somewhat knowing that he still needed to get Zwei back to his rightful owner, but if the Heartless were now making their way into the World of Remnant there was no way he could just walk away and leave a world in peril.

"Yes, the Keyblade is the only weapon able to release the hearts that are captured by the Heartless but..I'm not sure what it can do against these Grimm." The azure-eyed young man would frown as he remembered the large creatures, as well as their strange bone-like armor plating. "I hate to ask but..I might need a little help if I were to come up against those things." Zwei would bark suddenly, as if offering his support in the matter even as Sora knelt down and scratched behind his furry friend's ears gently.

"You can rest assured that if you should end up coming up against the creatures of Grimm in your journeys you will have the help of some of my best Huntresses, one of which you seem to already know fairly well." Ozpin would give a kind smile as Sora and Zwei both let out cries of happiness at the thought of finally being able to reunite with the cookie-loving red hood, deciding to leave the two to their elation he would leave the room and close the door behind him.

Only to come face-to-face with a stern looking Glynda Goodwitch, holding her scroll in hand as the voice of news personality Lisa Lavender could be heard coming from it.

"Again, we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to notify the citizens of Vale that a major White Fang attack has taken place at a local children's hospital. Masked individuals are reported to have rushed the building and overwhelmed security, at least ten individuals have been listed as injured including one child who lies in critical condition."

Ozpin would frown thoughtfully as he listened to further details being rattled off by the news woman, looking down at his scroll in agitation as if he were contemplating his next move in a second disastrous situation. "This is by far a brutal escalation of the White Fang's motive, although I highly doubt that this is a problem for forces outside of the normal authorities scope."

The older Huntress would sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose in agitation, setting down her scroll forcefully and glaring at her superior. "Dammit Ozpin, we both know that the normal officers aren't equipped to handle this kind of aggressive blitzkrieg tactics. We both know that there's only a handful of individuals here who are even close to being qualified to deal with this threat, and Team CFVY's already been sent away on assignment to the southeast of Vale." Glynda would go to retrieve her scroll with a regretful sigh, beginning to dial as calmly as she could. "Which means we're going to have to call upon Team RWBY-" Ozpin would clear his throat angrily, a sound which Glynda herself rarely heard.

"No, I need Team RWBY set aside for this situation involving the Keyblade. The creatures of Grimm are above all our first priority, and considering that the White Fang have resorted to such extreme measures this leaves us with only one feasible option."

Goodwitch's expression would immediately go sour, knowing exactly just who the Headmaster had in mind for cleaning up this terrible mess and hating the fact that he would go to such extreme lengths himself.

"I know how you feel Glynda, but given the current situation between this individual and Team RWBY it's best that the two parties separate for the time being. Besides, this is what **they** trained him to do after all." He would activate his scroll and contact his "Pet Project"

"It's me. I trust you've been paying attention to your newsfeed?"

 _ **Alright, before any of you think that is my way of wedging My OC into the story and muddying the waters for the pairing happy folks out there, it's the opposite. The White Fang aren't exactly playing with the half-assed kid gloves they used in Volume 1 & 2, this is some grade A nutjob-level insanity that requires someone with a more...loose Code of Morals. **_

_**But have faith RWBY-fans, as in the next-chapter we'll see Team RWBY finally meet up with our Keyblade wielding hero, our favorite furry buddy being reunited with his owners, and everyone else getting the 4-1-1 on just how big a threat the Heartless are.**_


	3. Reunion

_**Wow, I'm amazed at the fact this is picking up so much steam. I'd be writing everyday if I could, but I've been using my off-days to get back into KH and get a handle on Sora's character again. Especially given that we have KH 2.8 coming out WORLDWIDE in December! (Bless you Square-Enix) Buuut in the meantime**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Team RWBY would find themselves riding the elevator to Ozpin's office, the four of them each in silent contemplation as they were wondering why the headmaster had decided to summon them now of all times.

"It just doesn't add up, surely Ozpin knows that we're not exactly working on all cylinders right now." Weiss would break the silence surrounding the four with this statement, glaring at both Ruby and Yang as she said this. The sisters would be standing apart from one another and looking at a wall, up until recently they had been a very close duo with Yang being both an older sister and something of a surrogate mother to the younger woman whenever the situation called for it.

Then that damn wolf Faunus showed up.

"Are you two **still** not speaking to one another? It's just one guy, one out of many stronger, better looking men! Hell, even Jaune is a better option than that mutt."

Blake would smile to herself upon hearing this, knowing that the heiress's relationship with the knight in question was precarious on most days. "I bet Jaune would be over the moon if he had heard you just now Weiss." The cat Faunus would continue to smile as the pale-haired Huntress blushed furiously and tried to vociferously deny any interest in that "adorkable idiot" before trying to take that back as well. "But I do agree that now really isn't the time for your little Cold War, especially since the person in question isn't even here right now to defend his role in the lunacy."

Ruby would sigh sadly as she did her best to push down the internal strife she was feeling toward the blonde brawler, remembering that Blake's statement was correct and that her friend and current roommate was indeed gone on assignment. "Still, why did Professor Ozpin suddenly decide to summon us and not CFVY, or even JNPR?" The crimsonette would tap her chin in thought even as the elevator finally came to a stop and the doors opened slowly. "Any thoughts on this…sis?"

Yang would pinch the bridge of her nose in agitation, unlike the reaper she had yet to calm down and put her mind toward the task at hand and instead was still very much feeling jilted by both Ruby and Bálor for their actions. "I don't know, I don't care, but if it gives me a chance to beat the piss out of some Grimm I'm all for it."

She would arm her Ember Celica and grin sadistically with a flash of her red eyes as she sauntered off the elevator, her friends and sister each giving an exasperated sigh as they followed behind her as they made their way to Ozpin's door and stopping once they found Professor Goodwitch waiting for them with a stern look on her face.

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice, in light of the seriousness of this current situation I've taken the liberty of excusing you all from today's classes." The older Huntress would open the door behind her as the younger women's expressions shifted from the elation of being let out of their classes to the somber seriousness of what a meeting with Ozpin usually entailed.

However, the sight that awaited them would prove to be a stark contrast to what they were expecting as a furry brown blur collided with the brawler as Zwei barked happily and began smothering Yang with Corgi-style kisses.

"What the..? Zwei!" She would laugh happily and try moving her head left to right as she tried to avoid the dog's elation, while Weiss simply beamed in happiness at the sight and Blake strategically began stepping back out of instinct. "Where've you been buddy?"

Ruby however would be dead silent, knowing that she had indeed left her furry friend behind in her haste to finally confess her feelings to a certain someone.

 _"If Zwei's here, then that's gotta mean…"_ She would look up slowly from the still overjoyed dog to see Professor Ozpin sitting comfortably at his desk with Glynda standing to the left of him, but it would be the spiky-haired individual to the right that truly drew the reaper's attention and the unusual air of wisdom that permeated from his azure eyes.

 _"It..it really is him, but why..why is he here?"_

Sora would simply smile as he locked eyes with his cookie-loving friend, unaware of the current unease in her heart as his smile widened into a goofy grin.

"Hey Ruby, long time no see!"

Adam Taurus was not a happy man at the moment; he had been under the boot of the woman known as Cinder Fall for nearly a year now as the once proud members of the White Fang, a group of Faunus who were beyond fed up with humanity's treatment of their race and had been working to take the rights they richly deserved by force.

But this would now be a secondary objective since the raven-haired woman had taken over and were now being used as a squad of hired guns and decoys in order to further her own schemes, he had lost some good men and women when the breach had occurred thanks to that buffoon of a human known as Roman Torchwick. He had reasoned himself into believing that they had given their lives for the cause and were hopefully being given a proper reward in the afterlife, but as he watched the morning news detailing both the foiled Dust store heist as well as other comings and goings in the city of Vale his ire would find a new target in the form of whoever or whatever was now derailing his plans.

"Damned Humans! Why must they continue to get in my way, can't they see that we're just trying to get what we're owed?!" The masked Faunus would feel his rage pulsing through him as he balled his fists in fury, pacing his private chambers as the news continued to drone on in the background. "If only I had the power to oppose that damned witch Cinder, then the White Fang would really be able to show those filthy humans the true scope of our might!" He would grit his teeth in fury as the incessant droning of Lisa Lavender grated away at what remained of his nerves, finding the nearest crate and deciding to throw it at the small television and destroying both in a shower of sparks and wood splinters.

"Well I see somebody's not happy with their current place in the pecking order, and after all the hard work I have you doing for me too."

Adam would feel his body go rigid as he recognized the sultry voice echoing around his chamber, snarling as he saw a lone glowing amber eye watching him from the shadows.

"Spare me the mind games woman and speak your piece, I have enough of a busy day ahead of me without your constant interruptions!" The bull Faunus would continue to fume as Cinder Fall stepped out from the shadows, looking as smug and confident as always even as she was wearing the uniform of a Haven Academy student.

"Now now my dear Adam, is that anyway to greet the one who has so graciously taken you from a ragtag mob of freedom fighters to a well-trained guerilla army armed with the very technology used by their oppressors?"

Cinder would gesture dismissively to the scene outside his window, as other members of the White Fang were now painting and gearing up the stolen Atleasian Paladins with new paint jobs and weaponry ahead of their future assault upon Vale.

"I find it quite ironic that you plan to bring the humans to their knees with their own technology, a plan that would have been easily overridden were it not for my own intervention." She would feel her lips curl into a cruel smile as her thoughts shifted to the Black Queen virus that she had left sleeping in Vale's network a few weeks back, by now the virus had no doubt cracked a majority of the city's communications systems and was now working towards cracking the heavier military systems with the help of the already infected connections.

"And while I **appreciate** what you've done for us, what I don't understand is why we're still pulling two bit robberies when we already have more than enough Dust for the road ahead." Taurus would be visibly seething with each syllable as his sword hand drifted towards his weapon, wondering if today was the day that he would finally catch the pyromancer off guard long enough to be rid of her. However the familiar whistle of her power humming to life beneath his feet would stop all plans of an uprising in its tracks

"Why not simply attack them now if we have our supplies at the ready and your virus is already doing its job!"

Cinder would wait until the defiant Faunus finally stopped talking to call off her power before walking over to his lone wooden chair and sit down in it. "Because striking them now would prove nothing, they would pass it off as yet another outburst from your people before covertly sending someone to subdue you. No, we need to attack right when they're at the most vulnerable..and when that time comes dear Adam, the humans will realize far too late just how foolish they were for letting themselves grow fat and docile in a time of peace." She would watch as his body relaxed and a satisfied smile crept across the masked man's face, knowing full well that once all of her plans were set in motion that not even the White Fang would live to see the glorious world she and her Master would build upon Remnant's broken husk.

 _"Yes, soon you all will know the depths of true despair."_

Sora would standing beside Ozpin as the Headmaster played back the same footage for Team RWBY that he had shown the Keybearer, watching their faces contort into ones of fear and horror at what they saw. "I hate that they have to find out like this, but better they find out now instead of in the field where they can get hurt..or worse."

Yang would growl as she witnessed new Heartless rising from where the soldiers once stood, her eyes flashing red at the thought of more innocent people being turned into monsters like those. "Professor, what are these things and when can we start kicking their asses?!" The brawler's hair would glow brightly as she psyched herself up for the possible battles ahead, even as Ozpin simply glanced over to Sora and nodded silently.

"Well, to answer your question uh..ma'am. They're called Heartless and-"

Weiss would clear her throat in annoyance as she leveled her ice-blue gaze at the Keybearer. "I believe we were addressing the Professor, not another strange boy who's shown up at our doorstep!" She would then smile back to Ozpin and await his instructions, only to be rewarded with a quick but loud swat on the man's table courtesy of Goodwitch's riding crop instead.

"Miss Schnee; while I understand and even empathize with your misgivings towards…a certain new arrival to our school, you can rest assured that Sora here is an expert in dealing with these Heartless creatures." Glynda would sigh as Weiss puffed out her cheeks indignantly at this fact, setting her gaze back on the azure-eyed teenager who seemed to laugh nervously at her expression.

"So, I take it to mean that you've dealt with these creatures before and were able to defeat them?" Blake would study their "Heartless Expert" closely and try to read his body language, unlike her pale-haired counterpart she preferred to have as many angles on a person as possible before either liking or disliking a person. "Does that mean we have a chance against them with your help?"

Sora would nod firmly, thankful that at least one among them was willing to hear him out properly, even though he was worried by Ruby's silence even though Zwei seemed more than content to be back in the reaper's arms. "Well, seeing as my friends Leon and Yuffie can take out the Heartless without much trouble, then I'm sure you guys can do okay. Still, I'd like to train with you guys for a while so we can gel as a team and get used to everyone's abilities and talents."

Ozpin would nod quietly, having already approved of his plan before even summoning Team RWBY to his office as he leaned back in his chair expectantly even as Weiss seemed to frown as she metaphorically ate humble pie.

"That's..actually a well-thought out and concise idea, perhaps I was wrong to rush to judgment so quickly." The heiress would curtsy to the spiky-haired teen while giving a polite smile. "As a representative of both Team RWBY and the Schnee Dust Company, I humbly apologize for my rudeness."

Sora would be left speechless at the sudden show of business-like politeness he was being given from a girl who was at (first guess) a couple years older then himself. "Thank you, I think." He would watch as the blonde girl of the group playfully jabbed her in the ribs, watching as the pale-haired girl flushed suddenly before glaring back at her antagonist. _"Beautiful..outgoing, that's definitely gotta be Ruby's sister Yang."_

The blonde in question would look over at Sora and give him a hearty grin before pumping her fist in triumph. "It's Sora right, when the hell are we getting started with this training anyway?" She would bounce up and down in excitement at the prospect of finally being able to unleash her pent-up aggression upon an enemy who deserved it.

"Well, if you all are ready to get started then we just need to find somewhere to train."

Sora could see why Ruby was feeling like she lacked the confidence to win her guy-friend in question, speaking of which part of him wanted an update on that situation and judging by Ruby not wanting to meet his gaze it probably wasn't a good one. "Why don't you guys go on ahead, I need to talk with Ruby about..something Zwei-related."

This would pique the crimsonette's interest before she looked down at her furry companion in concern, only to be rewarded with a few happy licks to her nose and a bark to ease her back into a giddy smile even as the others made their way back to Ozpin's door and the elevator beyond it.

Blake however would wait until her leader and the Keybearer would leave the room, before turning back to face both the Headmaster and Goodwitch with a look of concern in her yellow eyes. "Professor, I understand that these Heartless are something to be concerned about. But I'm curious as to what plans you have concerning the White Fang?" The feline Faunus had carried a torch of concern for her former ally's escalating violent actions, and this feeling had been further exacerbated by the reports of the group having attacked a nearby children's hospital.

Ozpin would level his gaze towards the Huntress in black before putting his fingers together in stereotypical villain pyramid style, knowing that once he had caught wind of the news himself that there was a good chance that she would either show her concern through voice or rash action.

"Miss Belladonna, I understand that you feel some level of concern for what your fellow Faunus are doing but rest assured that the situation is being well-handled by the proper forces." But Blake would stand there with a firm, undeterred look upon her face as she stepped forward and prepared yet another question.

"I repeat Miss Belladonna, the White Fang situation will be resolved by the end of the week." He would simply look on in silence as the feline finally relented and left his office, knowing that if she were to keep poking and prodding at his methods then he would be forced to spill the beans on certain secrets as well as the fights that may arise from such revelations.

Sora and Ruby would be standing alone in Ozpin's elevator as they made their way down behind Weiss and Yang, Zwei looking around curiously as the Huntress and Keybearer kept quiet.

"Ruby, is everything all right? You weren't exactly thrilled to see me when you and the others showed up." The spiky-haired teen would gasp as the Corgi leaped from her arms onto his shoulder with a graceful yip, earning a chuckle of surprise from the young man while the crimsonette gave a shy smile.

"I'm just worried about these Heartless, I saw what they did to those soldiers and I'm worried since a friend of mine is currently out on a mission." She would frown at the thought of her friend being attacked and turned into one of those creatures and shuddered visibly, and Oum help them all if the Heartless decided to set their sights on the city somewhere down the line. "I almost lost him to Yang, and I can't…I can't!" Before the hooded girl would completely crack under the weight of her concern, she would feel Sora's hand upon her shoulder and give her a warm smile even as Zwei sat upon the Keybearer's shoulder as a king would sit upon his cherished throne.

"Good to see you managed to land your guy after all, I knew that he would see the same thing in your heart that I do." He would blush slightly even as the crimsonette nodded her affirmation, knowing that deep down she had a strong and courageous heart that no doubt shined with a bright light not unlike his own.

 _ **Hmm, a heart as strong and courageous as a Keybearer's huh? I'll leave you all to marinade on that.**_

 _ **In the meantime though, follow, favorite, review (But let's keep it civil) and feel free to vote on the poll hanging around my profile page.**_

 _ **It may or may not influence this and other RWBY-KH crossovers down the line.**_


	4. Pain & Gain Ground Pt 1

_**Now we really kick off the first Arc of this fanfic, today Team RWBY gets their first taste of Heartless action!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix.**_

Yang would find herself pacing the dais of the amphitheatre as Weiss and Blake talked in hushed whispers, the blonde brawler frowned as she remembered that the last time she had found herself standing on this very platform was at a very disheartening moment.

 _"C'mon Bálor, snap out of it!"_ She remembered the drained and hollow look on his face after having narrowly eked out a victory against all four members of Team CRDL, genuinely worried about his safety after having survived what was supposed to be a mugging sanctioned by Goodwitch. _"Stop thinking about it, you're here to learn how to fight Heartless._ " The busty Huntress would look over as the doors to the amphitheatre opened, watching on in muted silence as Sora and Ruby made their way inside while talking happily with one another.

 _"Oh come ON! Does she not have enough newbies nipping at her heels!?"_

"Umm Yang, are you alright?" Ruby would look up at her older sibling standing on the dais, her golden mane shimmering in response to her pent-up agitation. "…Sis?"

Blake would calmly place her hand upon her partner's shoulder, shaking her head silently while gesturing for the blonde to calm down. "It's okay Ruby, we're all just a little wound up thanks to these new creatures showing up." It was a feeling that the feline could empathize with given how the Headmaster had dismissed her earlier line of questions about the White Fang.

Sora would hop onto the dais calmly, even as Zwei gave him a bark of approval upon landing. "All the more reason we should begin our training right away." The Keybearer would take a calming breath before summoning the Keyblade into his hands, surprising at least three of the Huntresses in the room before he turned to look up at the ceiling. "Alright, Professor Ozpin..anytime you're ready!"

Ruby would leap onto the dais and ready Crescent Rose and looking around carefully for any sign of her enemies while her teammates readied themselves as well, gasping as the lights in the amphitheatre began to dim and small, black, insect-like creatures began to appear with their big yellow-eyes honed straight on the group of individuals in front of them. "Remember everyone, stay on your toes and we'll be fine-"

Before the crimsonette-haired girl could continue to give her team advice, Yang would charge forward with a snarl, smashing her fist into the ground and sending the small Heartless flying back while a few were actually destroyed by the force of her attack as well. "Yeah, not so scary now are you?!" The blonde would pump her fist triumphantly, only to hear a siren blare from around the room, quickly to be followed by a screen that displayed a strange Heart-shaped symbol instead of her aura level.

 _Yang Xiao Long. Eliminated."_

The voice of Glynda Goodwitch would echo throughout the room as a holographic heart appeared in front of the startled blonde, before slowly floating up to the ceiling of the dais and shattering. _"You really should keep a better eye on your flank."_

Yang would look behind her to see at least three of the small Heartless grabbing at her legs while another one was making a leap for her hair. "What the heck guys, where was my backup?!"

Sora would easily dispatch the Shadows in front of him with a sweeping smash attack before looking over at Yang. "How could they back you up when you're charging headfirst into the fight, remember we're trying to fight as a group here!"

Weiss would easily back-flip and maneuver around the small Shadows thanks to her glyphs, while picking off the few who would jump and try to strike her. "Come on, I've fought Boarbatusks that are harder to deal with then these things." She would continue to twirl and pirouette around the battlefield dispatching enemies, at least until something larger decided to knock her into the nearest wall as more Heartless began to appear on the battlefield. "Gah! What just hit me?!" The heiress would have little time to complain as a group of Soldier Heartless leapt for her, she would groan as she created a glyph to repel them back into a waiting Blake who quickly cleaved them apart.

"Weiss!" Ruby would move quickly in an attempt to reach her partner, even as a Large Body Heartless lumbered in the way of her path, causing her to use her Semblance to try and bulldoze through it. "Get outta my way you big palooka!" However, the bigger Heartless wouldn't feel much of anything as its large belly repelled her attack and sent her flying into the feline Faunus behind her as the two hit the floor of the dais in agony.

"Ruby..what were you thinking?" Blake would groan as she tried to stand up and get back into the fight, only to find that the pair were now surrounded by Soldiers. "Great…"

The siren would blare twice as Sora did his best to hurl one of the soldiers into a group of other Heartless surrounding Weiss, backpedaling as he made a quick survey of the battlefield. The first thing he would notice was the "hearts" of Ruby and Blake floating up and then shattering like glass. "That's not good!"

 _"Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna. Eliminated."_

Goodwitch would say this with an audible groan as Weiss continued to move around the battlefield in an effort to gain some distance, even as Sora began doing the same while shifting his Keyblade into its twin pistol form and begin showering the Heartless in front of her with light bullets. "I have a plan, but I could use some help here!" The heiress would roll her eyes but eventually make her way over to the young man's side nonetheless.

"I get that you're supposed to be the expert here but even you have to see that we're horribly outnumbered." Weiss would frown as the mob of Heartless slowly began to surround the pair, deep down she lamented the fact that unlike her sister Winter she had yet to master the art of Summoning. Otherwise she would have began summoning copies of the Grimm she had defeated over the course of her journeys with Team RWBY to even the odds. "We'd need some sort of divine intervention to get through this, and I don't think any deity is just going to randomly show up and save our collective asses!"

Sora would shake his head and grin as the Shadows and Soldiers prepared to rush the duo, knowing that even with him firing his bullets at max velocity there was little chance of them outlasting the horde in front of them. "I'm going to freeze 'em, once they're stopped we need to shatter as many as we can before they can break loose and dog pile on us!" The Keybearer would take a breath as he began to focus his senses, not yet having tried to use his magic in tandem with him Keyblade transformations until right now.

"Are you nuts, the others would be frozen too? What happens if we end up hitting them and shattering them to pieces huh?!" Weiss would frown, knowing that even though her friends were technically out of the battle, they still should have been able to move and get themselves off of the battlefield. _"Something's not right, the Heartless are completely ignoring them entirely. But the others should've been able to leave after they were eliminated, and yet there they are frozen in the very places they were defeated in."_

She would look to the spiky-haired teen prepared to voice her concern, but stood silent upon noticing the pale blue aura building around him and a look of complete and utter calm upon his face _. "Is this a Semblance? Some kind of new weapon or technique that was honed in one of the other kingdoms?"_ Weiss would take a breath and ready herself to move, hoping she had enough time to retrieve the others before he could enact his plan and preparing a time dilation glyph in order to quicken her own movements.

"Now Freeze!" Sora would shout this as he pulled the triggers on his pistols as a shower of ice bullets erupted from the weapons and being thrown back by the force of his own attack, the bullets would continue on their path freezing any Heartless that happened to be hit by the projectiles before spreading to the enemies around them and continuing the process anew. "Go for it!" The Keybearer would gesture for her to charge in, even as her glyph finally took effect and sent her vaulting forward into the mob of enemies as she began piercing the frozen creatures of darkness and cutting them apart as fast as she could.

 _"Ruby and Blake are closest to me, so if I can just make it past this wall in time then I can get them out of this mess!"_ Weiss would jump on top of the frozen Large Body and cut down the soldiers surrounding the still downed Huntresses, kneeling down to gently wrap her arms around Ruby when the once-lifeless reaper gasped loudly.

"What the heck, I..I can move again!" The crimsonette would let out a shot of elation before finally realizing the messy situation she was in and grabbing Crescent Rose in preparation to begin the fight once again. "We're surrounded!" Ruby would try to stand up as quickly as she could, her leg brushing against Blake's prone body and bringing her back to consciousness with a gasp of her own.

"What the heck- Ruby you're stepping on my leg! The feline Faunus would struggle to get up off the ground, grabbing Gambol Shroud and surveying the situation for herself. "Wow, I didn't think your Ice Dust had this kind of potency Weiss..would've been great for you to use something this elaborate MORE OFTEN!"

Weiss would glare at the neko ninja with an irate glare as she stomped her foot indignantly. "It wasn't me! That dolt over there managed to freeze this gaggle before knocking the wind out of himself!" The pale-haired Huntress would point to the downed Keybearer who was just now being to stir and get back to his feet, shaking his head as he tried to clear the cobwebs. "How are you even moving anyway, I thought you and Ruby were out of the battle!"

Blake would open her mouth to shout back at the heiress before realizing what she was implying, it was true that she and their leader were both able to fight and move once again but not understanding why. "I..don't know, all I remember was Ruby barreling into me like a cannonball then being mobbed by Heartless. Then when I came to, Ruby was standing on my leg." She would glare at the crimsonette-haired girl who was now running her hand through her hair and smiling nervously.

"I'm really sorry about that Blake, but I was only able to move after Weiss hugged me." Ruby would look over at her partner who was now blushing furiously due to the cookie-loving girl's words. "Why did you hug me anyway, the middle of a fight seems like a really awkward time to give me a hug Weiss." Blake would raise an eyebrow at her friend's insinuation, as both Huntresses looked to the pale-haired young woman for an answer even as the Heiress's blush continued to deepen and gain steam.

"I-I didn't..! You..you stupid dolt!" Weiss would shake her head furiously as she tried to summon up a valid defense for her actions; while she did genuine adore her partner for all the hard work she put in to make up for the fact that she was placed into Beacon Academy two years earlier then she should have, the middle of a fight was perhaps the stupidest place to try and get a hug from her admittedly prone partner. "I was trying to save you idiot!" Her voice would echo off the ice surrounding them, leaving her teammates speechless at her sudden outburst.

"Geez Weiss, I was just playing around. No need to get all salty about it." Ruby would frown as the heiress started taking deep calming breaths, current romantic interests aside she genuinely cared for her partner's well-being and happiness. "I appreciate a nice hug here and there, especially since it brought me back to life sorta." She would grin and quickly give the heiress's waist a gentle squeeze before stepping back, her smile widening as Weiss's face reddened to a soft tomato-colored red.

"You dolt…thank you." Weiss would say this while looking down at her boots in embarrassment, the act allowing her to hide the giddy smile she had on her face.

Before any further banter could take place between the three friends, the sound of ice shattering could be heard behind them as several Heartless behind them fell to pieces, Sora would be back on her feet and bashing as many of the frozen foes apart as he could.

"What are you all standing around for, this battle's not over!" One of the Soldiers next to him would begin to break through its icy prison, leading the Keybearer to strike it hard with the Keyblade and watch it disappear. "Come on, we're running out of time!"

Blake would be the first to react, immediately slicing through a Large Body as well as a horde of frozen Shadows behind it. _"If all we had to do was make physical contact in order to get someone back…"_ The raven-haired feline would make a mad dash for her partner, knowing that even a simple tag would be just enough to bring Yang to her. "Guys, I'll get Yang! You two start cleaning up the ones in the back before they thaw out!" Blake would use a clone to vault over a swarm of Shadows starting to break free before turning back and decimating them with a flurry of slashes, she didn't have much time left judging by how fast their enemies were finding their freedom. "Just a little more!" She would change Gambol Shroud into its pistol form and blast away at the Heartless obstructing her path to Yang as she let out a roar of frustration.

Ruby would hear this as she cut her way through a line of frozen Shadows and look behind her, her body instinctively knowing to switch clips as she watched the cat Faunus desperately fight her way to her sister. "Sora! Help clear a path for Blake!"

The azure-eyed young man would smash through a team of Soldiers and a newly-arriving Darkball as he recognized Ruby's voice within the fray of battle.

"Ruby, I thought you were out of the fight!" He would quickly smack aside some Shadows as he tried to search for her, finding nothing but Heartless surrounding him. "Man, this might be tricky to get out of. Rubes I'm trapped here!" He would begin deflecting with he could with the Keyblade, knowing that it was just a matter of time before he heard the siren blaring for his elimination.

Only to feel an insane blast of heat followed by a very primal scream as some of the Heartless surrounding him disappeared in a spark of flames.

 _"Magic? Could Donald and Goofy finally have shown up here to help me?"_ Sora would dodge roll in order to escape the precarious situation, only to find himself staring into the ample bust of one very fired up Yang Xiao Long.

"My eyes are up here sweetie." Sora would slowly look up to see the blazing red eyes of Ruby's older sibling and a feral grin upon her face as she readied her Ember Celica for battle. "Though I do appreciate your interest in my gals." Yang would give him a playful wink before shoving him aside and laying into the Heartless with shotgun shell blasts, leaving him to join Blake in cutting through a mob of soldiers without hesitation.

"Is she always so…forthcoming?" He would ask while swatting away an oncoming shoulder as the pair fought back to back, Blake's hair tickling the back of his neck even as they both deflected individual attacks.

"If you think that was forward, then you should see how she acts around someone she likes!" The feline would grin as she cut down two Soldiers standing on top of one another, unlike the young man fighting behind her Blake was used to Yang being a bit of flirt to the boys of Beacon. "But let's save the trivia notes for later and finish this thing up!"

The five of them were now fully focused on the remaining Heartless on the dais, each of them readying the weapons for one last push towards victory even as their individual bodies cried out in pain.

"As long as we stick together we can get through this!" Sora would shift his Keyblade to its pistol form as Yang leapt back next to him with a more cheerful grin. "Finally learned your lesson huh?"

The blonde would ready herself as she watched Blake take her position at the spiky-headed boy's left and holding her Gambol Shroud level.

"Yeah, let's not get too mouthy there Key-boy." The brawler would breath a sigh of relief as Ruby and Weiss smashed through the wall of enemies to rejoin the rest of their impromptu team. "Great, at least now we can all get our asses kicked together."

Ruby would sigh heavily as she reached behind her back to retrieve a Cross clip and loading it into Crescent Rose.

"Well, if we're going to go down then I might as well not hold anything back at this point." The red hood would close her eyes as if reciting a silent prayer for good luck, and wondering if her guy was thinking of her. But once she opened her silver-eyes once again, the reaper was all business as she heard her partner spinning Myrtenaster's wheel of Dust Crystals and nodding quietly as she felt Weiss readying herself. "Alright everybody, here goes EVERYTHING!"

The five of them would let out a battle cry before charging forward, Ruby became a flash of crimson as her Semblance carried her into the fray with Weiss using Wind Dust to create a twister to send the heavier Heartless airborne.

"Alright, lets light 'em up Sora!" Yang would start launching shotgun shells at the Heartless who were fortunate to escape Ruby's tornado as both Sora and Blake fired bullets of their own, the forces of darkness disappearing in puffs of smoke and cyber scraps. "Get ready Weiss, it's almost time for the money shot!"

The heiress's face go sour at her friend's choice of words but she would keep her lithe frame taut in preparation for a flash of red.

"Spare me your tawdry jokes Xiao Long, we don't live in the same gutter your mind clearly resides in." Weiss would stick out her tongue at Yang childishly even as Team RWBY's heavy hitter stopped to reload bullets, Blake and Sora were doing their best to cover in her stead as the beginnings of a crimson flash could be seen out of the corner of her eye. "Just..just be careful alright, that goes for the rest of you too!"

The blonde would nod in affirmation as she started launching shells once again as her gaze honed in on the targets ahead of them. "Give 'em hell princess."

Before she could say anything in reply to her friend's jest, the crimson flash would erupt from the twister as Ruby emerged atop a horde of Shadows.

"Weiss, NOW!" Ruby could feel herself losing her footing as she leapt off the swirling mass of Heartless and prepared herself for the final strike, her body twisting and twirling in midair.

"I know I know!" Weiss would switch to the last of her Ice Dust and slam Myrtenaster's tip into the ground, freezing the floor and the swirling mass of Shadows solid before running forward to deliver the final blow as Ruby began coming down from the air.

"This is our special move!" The heiress would be using her glyphs to maintain her momentum as Ruby began to gather speed and become a red hooded bullet, while Weiss became a pale blur smashing through the bottom of the frozen pillar as her partner drilled down the middle of it.

"WHITE ROSE CRESCENT!"

The remaining pieces falling and shattering upon the frozen ground as the heiress skidded to a stop just in time to keep the silver-eyed Huntress from hitting the ground and catch the reaper in her arms before they both collapsed in a heap onto the cold dais floor, the others quickly running to their side and helping the pair back to their feet.

"Simulation over, well done everyone." Goodwitch's voice would serve as a gracious sound of victory as they each let out individual shouts of triumph, blissfully unaware that Ozpin had been watching them from the shadowy corner of the Amphitheatre and was quietly making his exit back to his office via a secret passage.

Glynda Goodwitch would watch the playback of Sora and Team RWBY's battle, her eyes keenly watching every movement took against their Cyber-Heartless, not even bothering to pause as she heard Ozpin reentered the room. "They barely survived. A simulation and they barely managed to pull out a win at the very end, even with the help of a proper Keybearer!" She would pinch the bridge of her nose before pausing the playback and vacating her seat, waiting for Ozpin to give her some words of reassurance even as made his way to what was rightfully his seat. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing here, as one who wields the Keyblade he should be given free reign to move about Remnant as he pleases."

Headmaster Ozpin would bring up the news feed without saying a word, his eyes scanning for news about the White Fangs movements and let out a satisfied sigh when he found nothing new in terms of major disasters.

"Glynda, I meant what I said when I told Sora that I had no intent of imprisoning him here in Beacon. But if we're going to move against the threat of the Heartless, we need the guidance and wisdom that he brings to the table." The silver-haired man would watch as both Sora and Weiss conversed with one another before the heiress took off to rescue her teammates. "After all he did well enough to formulate and execute a plan to fend off the Heartless long enough for miss Schnee to discover the trick behind the Gain Ground System."

He would punch a few buttons on his holo-keyboard and watch as the screen switched from the camera feed in the amphitheater to the diagram representing Ozpin's secret addition to the school's training regimen. "The Gain Ground System was meant to inspire and foster teamwork among those whom are inside the system. No one individual can survive the perils of the system alone, for defeat means being frozen in stasis and without a companion to reach out and save you then the game is over." Ozpin would look over the data that the system had gathered, a small smile crossing his face even as Glynda frowned in concern.

"I understand that you want to foster more unity between the teams, and that you truly believe that this Gain Ground System of yours will foster that unity. But it's a slippery slope between the conditions of a chessboard that you can control and the heat of a brutal battle, teams that may be able to function inside the boundaries of your little system will more than likely fall apart when enough pressure is applied." Goodwitch would switch back to the camera feed of the amphitheater as the members of Team RWBY as well as Sora began to make their way outside, she could tell that the five of them were tired and bruised but this would only be the tip of the iceberg if Qrow's theories turned out to be true.

 _"Heaven help these poor children weather the storm that's coming our way."_

 _ **Alright, so a little explanation about the concept of the Gain Ground system and the way Ozpin's decided to use it.**_

 _ **I first ran afoul of this very concept during my playthrough of the game Project X-Zone, in that game the Gain Ground system was a part of a virtual world that our motley crew of heroes found themselves stranded in while chasing the dimension hopping villains. Unfortunately the only way to proceed past said area was to fight your way through a horde of enemies, with more groups of harder enemies spawning up as you made it closer to the exit. And if that weren't ridiculous enough, two more teammates appear mid battle but are frozen in place (in less than agreeable locations) and the only way to free them is to walk up next to them and "rescue" them via touch.**_

 _ **The very first time I played through this section of the game I got murdered due to the fact that I sent units ahead of the group, leading to some very messy 3 on 1 or even 4 on 1 massacres. (Much like Yang herself suffered) and even when pairing off clusters of units together it still seemed to backfire, even though I was actually starting to make headway in the battle. (Blake and Ruby's disaster)**_

 _ **It wasn't until I fell back and observed the situation and began using skills and area-wide attacks that the tide of the fight began to shift and I slowly began rescuing fallen units that had been lost previously. (Sora and Weiss, Weiss rescuing Ladybug) after that it was a pretty fierce war of attrition that ended with my seizing victory from the jaws of defeat.**_

 _ **That battle inspired me to keep my units paired up closer, working in tighter but more malleable groups that can respond to situations more fluidly instead of just going in with all guns blazing and thinking I was all powerful.**_

 _ **Ozpin's version of the Gain Ground system functions similar to X-Zone's in that downed team members are frozen in place and that priority be made to rescue them ASAP, as no one single Huntsman or Huntress is strong enough to battle an army without help. He believes that this will serve to foster and instill a sense of teamwork in newer teams, as well as help those teams who've fallen out of sync for one reason or another.**_

 _ **If you've managed to stick it out through this entire explanation then I salute you and encourage you to follow, favorite, and review. Feel free to vote in the poll up on my profile page that may or may not help cement a pairing for this story, unless you're a SoraxKairi or SoraxRiku shipper in which case I offer my most humble apology for trampling upon your dreams.**_


	5. Moods, speculation, and accidents

_**Welp, I knew creating that poll was gonna come back to bite me.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Sora would find himself being led to a spare dorm by Glynda, Zwei trailing behind the pair quietly as the spectacle-wearing woman quietly explained the circumstances behind this odd "extra dorm".

"Personally, I disagree with Ozpin's inclusion of this particular student but the Headmaster insists that even baser animals have their purpose." Goodwitch would mutter this as they finally stopped at the dorm of the dorm in question, noticing the peculiar doodle of a chibi-fied wolf sleeping on top of a bed of roses. "Why am I not surprised that he would mark his territory like this?"

As a staff member of Beacon, she (along with Ozpin) had a sort of skeleton key that allowed them access to the students dorm room's, of course this was only meant to be used in an emergency capacity as to give the students their rightful privacy.

Although if Peter Port had his way, he would be using the key to further his infatuation with a certain blonde brawler despite the other party's obvious disinterest in the older man.

"Alright Sora, this is the dorm you and your furry friend here will be sharing for the duration of your stay here at Beacon. If you have any questions then don't hesitate to use the scroll Professor Ozpin gave you earlier this morning, otherwise I'll leave you to your planning." The older Huntress would give the spiky-haired young man a kind smile before leaving the dorm room and closing the door behind her, Zwei would immediately sniffing around the room as he began his exploration of his new living area.

"Wow, I didn't think the students here lived so comfortably." Sora would look at the cushy bed in the room, the sheets replaced with a rather intricate pattern of roses as he kept examining the room around him and stopping at a desk where a framed picture of Ruby standing beside a silver-haired individual wearing black and white face paint. "Ruby..but who is she with?" He examined the second individual closely, hoping to find some clue as to why the bubbly, cookie-loving reaper would hang out with someone so bizarre.

However all speculation would cease as the sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts, he would set down the picture quickly and try to put it back in its proper place as he turned to face whomever was coming into the room. "I'm sorry, I was just transferred in here by Miss Goodwitch and-" The keybearer would stop speaking as he came face to face with a freshly showered Ruby Rose, a soft pink-colored towel wrapped around her small frame with another one being carefully wrapped around her crimsonette-colored hair while humming a happy tune.

At least until Ruby finally noticed that she wasn't exactly alone in the dorm room anymore, her silver eyes would stare directly into the azure eyes of her Keyblade-slinging friend.

"S-Sora…?" She would shudder while staring at the brown-haired teen whose cheeks had gone completely red, feeling a similar heat spreading across her own cheeks while Zwei just looked on in confusion.

The sounds of startled screams would be heard throughout the halls of Beacon Academy, leaving many confused as to just what was going on.

Weiss and Blake would be down in the city of Vale, enjoying some time to relax and unwind after that mess of a mock battle between Team RWBY and their Heartless expert Sora against digital mock-ups of Heartless that had appeared in the area (at least according to Professor Ozpin).

"I can't believe that that entire battle was nothing more then a bad simulation concocted by Ozpin, we barely managed to beat a bunch of under-powered facsimiles!" The heiress would click her tongue in disgust as she recalled the precarious positions that the five of them had found themselves in during the fight. "And what was the deal with our so-called "Expert", you'd think someone with that much knowledge on our enemies would be able to dispatch them without much effort!"

The feline Faunus would tap her chin in thought as she recalled fighting back to back with the young man in question, even in the heat of battle she had sensed something off about Sora. It was as if he had been holding back on them during the battle, granted the very nature of his weapon and the fact that he had been able to freeze the Heartless without the use of Dust were also very puzzling facts to her as well.

"I think there's more to this whole thing then what the Professor's letting us know, and maybe that Sora kid might know things that Ozpin might be keeping close to the vest on this." Blake would look up at the clear blue skies of Vale with a furrowed brow of curiosity, trying to decipher the Headmaster's earlier comments toward the situation involving the White Fang.

"True, but I've only the only times we've ever seen him were in the company of Ozpin and Goodwitch, or with Ruby and that sweet, little, adorable ball of fluff that is Zwei." The heiress would let out a tiny squee of joy as she imagined watching the little Corgi perform tricks before finally pouncing into her lap and covering her face in tiny kisses, but before she could let herself go too far down the rabbit hole of fantasy she would spy a local café and stop before glancing over at her friend and teammate curiously. "Coffee?"

Blake would stop and admire the décor of the café before looking to her pale-haired companion with a sweet smile. "Tea."

Weiss would nod as the two of them made their way into the establishment, it was rare of them to have a day where classes, attacks upon the city, or the daily annoyances of a certain silver wolf weren't causing the duo grief.

And they intended to make the most of it.

Ruby Rose would be sitting on the bed of what was now essentially Sora's dorm with a sour look on her face, now having managed to fully get dressed after their unfortunate encounter with one another. "I think it goes without saying that we **never** speak of this to anyone." The crimsonette would watch quietly as Zwei rolled along the floor, happily chewing on and playing with a plushie version of one of the members of the Bullet Club. Oblivious to the awkward conversation between the two teenagers, the corgi would continue to chase and bite upon the arm of the faux athlete.

"I agree, although I really am sorry that this happened-" The young man would go silent as she held up her hand and shook her head vigorously, causing him to bite his lip as he quietly mulled over what to say to her. "Why are you in one of the spare dorms, I thought you'd be staying with your team." He would look around at the room he was now to call his own, aside from the lone picture of Ruby on the desk there wasn't much connecting the room to its original occupant.

"I..had a disagreement with my partner, not gonna get into the details of it all but suffice to say that it was bad enough for me to temporarily relocate here for a while." Ruby would frown as she stared down at her ankle, remembering the cold bite of steel that used to be attached to it. "Lucky for me this dorm is assigned to that friend I told you about earlier, he didn't have to take me in at all but..I guess he really cared enough that he decided to give me what little space he could spare." The crimsonette would stand up and calmly walk over to the closet of the dorm room and open it slowly, the space would be filled with various brightly colored shirts, hoodies, and even a small stack of comic books.

"I've sorta moved myself in, not that he seems to mind of course." She would dig into the back of the closet, finding one of the few remaining boxes of cookies that she had acquired during her first trip to that magical place known as Cookie World. "Want some?"

The silver-eyed Huntress would casually toss him a box of shortbread cookies as she dived back in for one of the last boxes of peanut butter cookies before shutting the closet door and looking to him with a cheeky grin as she held up her sweet treats. "Here's to new friends!"

Sora would look at the box of cookies then back to the cookie-loving speedster who was holding her box in the form of celebratory toast, this was the person he was going to spending goodness knows how long with. One true friend that seemed to genuinely bring happiness to whomever she was with, a literal flurry of boundless energy and rose petals, someone who seemed to put all their heart into following their dreams.

Before he could understand what exactly was going in his own heart, he would hold his box of cookies up in a similar fashion with a goofy grin upon his face. "To new friends!"

Zwei would bark in triumphant agreement before presenting the mangled remains of a plushie Karl Anderson.

"Ahh! Zwei what did you do, these plushies were made of super dense fibers." The crimsonette-haired girl would scoop up the remains of the Bullet Club's mouthpiece with a sigh. "Hopefully he won't be too mad about this when he finally comes back from his mission." Zwei would simply sit down and look up at his owner curiously, before giving a small bark of happiness.

Yang Xiao Long was in some kind of a mood as she raced her cherished motorcycle down the streets of Vale, that mock battle doing little to ease the tension that she had been feeling that day. "I can't believe I wasted half a day on that lousy simulation: the Heartless were only half as strong, we were off-beat as a team..what a disaster!" The brawler would rev the engine and pick up speed as she expertly navigated Bumblebee through traffic, the feel of the wind rushing through her hair causing her to crack a smile and give a hoot of laughter. "Now this is what I needed: The open road, the wind in my hair, absolute freaking freedom!" She revved the accelerator again and picked up even more speed as she approached the city limits, despite knowing that it probably wasn't the best idea to leave Vale mid-semester without a damn good reason lest she incur the wrath of Goodwitch but as she passed the sign that welcomed outsiders into Vale it didn't really seem to matter much as the road stretched out before her.

Although her sense of excitement would be pique as she heard the harsh growl of another motorcycle engine beside her. Intrigued, the blonde would look over to see a sleek but peculiar shaped motorcycle driving alongside Bumblebee: Its frame was jet black with what she could've sworn to be living flame decals decorating the front and back fenders, it made for cool effects but the blonde was seriously not impressed in the slightest. But perhaps what pissed the buxom Huntress off most was the driver of the vehicle, a man with bright red hair that was styled into slicked back spikes, a visor covering vibrant green eyes, and the type of grin that Yang herself usually had right before deciding to give some sleaze ball a well-deserved beat down.

 _"I don't know who this kook thinks he is, but I'm seriously not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not at eighty miles an hour!"_ She would give the red-headed punk a look of disgust before pulling ahead of him, intent on crossing into the tunnel leading to the next city and making for the ferry back to Patch. _"Maybe a visit to Dad'll help me clear my head of dumbasses for a while."_

Unfortunately the familiar growl would be heard once again, the red-headed biker from before seemed intent on pursuing Yang.

Although judging by the grin on his face, he seemed to be having fun chasing after the blonde and simply wanted their game to continue. Something that he seemed dead-set on doing as he matched her movements every time Yang made a move to pass by him.

"Fine buddy, you want a race? You got it!" She would maneuver Bumblebee past one of those annoying yellow construction blockades and onto the still unfinished highway that would allow vehicles access to the island territories. _"But I'm gonna make sure this is one race you'll regret asking for!"_

 _ **Well, this is not at all turning out like I originally envisioned it.**_

 _ **Long Road Home was just supposed to be a companion piece to everything going in my OC-related plot line, but with each new chapter it's turning into its own world, pretty much abolishing whatever pairings I had planned. (Outside of Sora's which is in the hands of you guys thanks to the poll on my profile page)**_

 _ **Unlike last chapter I won't pad this out too much, though I will point out to one Guest Reviewer: Yes, I did cut back what Sora can do, but only because I've got bigger plans in mind that require more precise research on what Sora can do Pre-3D.**_

 _ **Read, favorite, follow, review. I'll see you folks next Chapter**_


	6. Rush & Slide

_**Sorry for the delays everybody, between computer issues, personal issues, and Money in the Bank, I've been unable to update on a nice regular basis.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix.**_

Yang and the red-haired biker would be racing down the half-completed highway at dizzying speeds, neither side seemed willing to relent as the asphalt stretched out before them even though the road threatened to end in a few minutes time.

"Come on, come on you son of a bitch give up!" The blonde would look over to see the redhead staring intently at the road ahead of them, gone was the grin from earlier and in its place was a look of clear determination. _"Well somebody takes a game of Chicken seriously."_

Yang would turn back to face the road as the gap in the highway loomed larger before her, the lilac-eyed Huntress could feel the beads of sweat beginning to drip down her forehead as she contemplated the disastrous results of what would happen if she didn't stop soon.

 _"What the hell am I doing: Am I really willing to die just to one up some stranger I met on the road?"_ Flashes of her time growing up with Ruby and Summer played through her mind, her little sister meant the world to her and even a fight over the new wolf in Beacon wouldn't change that.

 _"Hasn't my family lost enough already?"_ The blonde couldn't remember the exact moment where her birth mother had abandoned them, only that her father would refuse to talk about the raven-haired warrior under any circumstances. At least until his old teammate Summer Rose had decided to reenter his life; at first her old man just wouldn't allow himself to escape the funk that his wife's abandonment had left him in but, as time passed and Summer's presence became something more constant and concrete Taiyang's frozen heart would begin to find love again.

 _"I…I can't do this to them!"_ Yang would do her best to try and slow down Bumblebee as the sound of screeching tires filled her ears, grunting angrily as she tried to keep control before her bike would finally give out and skid across the road as she cried out in pain. "Fuck, I am going to be feeling this on the way back to Beacon for sure!" The brawler would do her best to climb back to her feet, grateful that her helmet had saved some of her hair from damage (although the helmet hair she had afterwards was annoying as all get out.)

The second motorcycle would pull a U-turn and drive over to where she busily dusting herself off, the red-haired biker cut the engine to his machine and got off to help her.

"Damn, that was some wipe-out you had there sister." He would look the blonde up and down, admiring her various curves and flashing her a confident smile. "I honestly didn't think a hotshot like you would quit a race though, really ruins the illusion of badass."

The biker would chuckle to himself, unaware of the blonde's eyes flashing red in response to his inane banter.

"Illusion of badass? Is that really all you were doing this for, because I looked like some prize you wanted!?" Yang would snarl and grab the guy by the collar of his black shirt, letting her see the full extent of her fury as her golden locks glowed brightly. "I am so SICK of you boneheaded boys thinking that I'm nothing more than a piece of meat that needs tenderizing!" She would tighten her grip, cutting off the fiery-headed punk's airway for a brief moment as she envisioned the silver-haired perpetrator in question. "Was I not good enough for you! Is that why you moved onto Ruby instead?!"

The young man in question would be gasping for air, finally mustering the strength to kick her away and try and summon his weapon, even as it struggled to flicker and materialize into being. _"Aww c'mon, not this bullshit again. How do those two make it look so easy?!"_ He would look up as she let out a yell and charged toward him, her fists covered in yellow-colored gauntlets as she tried to punch him. _"What the?! Could've sworn those things were bracelets earlier!"_ The redhead would hold out his hand expectantly, trying to will his weapon into existence, even as the blonde was readying herself for a second charge. "Fuck it!" He would hold out both his arms as the familiar weight of his chakrams entered his grip, he would block her fist at the last possible second before they erupted into a proper brawl as fists and chakram slashes were leveled at one another.

"What kind of moron fights up close with a ranged weapon, are you trying to get your jaw broken?!" Yang would fire off a shotgun shell and send the biker flying back to the side of the road as she ran in to close the distance, only to feel something whiz by her cheek and try to land a left hook only for her Ember Celica to connect with his weapon instead. "Buddy, I dunno who you are but you picked the WORST day to piss me off!" The blonde would finally connect with his face as she laid into him with her right hand, even as he struggled to try and defend himself from her rage-induced onslaught.

"Look lady, I'm sorry-" He would hiss as her fist connected with his cheek once more, he would do his best to struggle free before finally bringing up his knees and hitting her as hard as he could. The blonde would stagger back and finally allow him some room to breathe as he stumbled to a standing position and willing his missing chakram back to him. "It sounds like you've been having quite the ordeal in terms of guys, and I really didn't mean to ruffle your feathers or anything." He would give her a lopsided smile even as he felt the throbbing pain in his cheek from her fists, the girl looked like a fiery angel of vengeance and hit like a 'roided out demon from Hell. (Not that he would ever say it to her face at this point.) "I don't get into town that often and needed to work off some steam, and judging by how fast you were going when I saw you I'd say you needed to get some things out of your system as well." He would watch as the temperamental blonde lifted her bike up to a more drivable position before leveling a heated glare in his direction.

 _"I bet she's a lot prettier without that scowl on her face, wonder what kind of moron would turn a beauty like this away?"_

Yang would sigh dejectedly as she straddled her bike once again, looking at the red-haired stranger quietly as she mulled over his words. "Look, I get what it's like to be pent up and needing a way to relieve your stress. But there's at least a hundred better ways to deal with that garbage then hitting the streets and challenging someone to a lethal game of chicken!" She would place her helmet back over her blonde locks and take a calming breath before turning on the engine once again and doing a donut just for shits and giggles, the tension and pent-up anger from before had gone from a muffled roar to a simmering growl as she looked at the young man she had decided to take her aggression out on and giving him a wink. "Next time you start to feel all pent-up, try using your hands." She would rev the engine loudly before racing off back into the city of Vale, leaving the red-headed biker in her dust while he mulled over her last words to him.

"Use my hands…?" The young man would look down at his now empty hands with a befuddled look on his face as he walked back to his motorcycle quietly, the innuendo still not connecting even as he peeled off towards the setting sun as a Corridor of Light opened up to welcome him back to a very familiar tower.

Yang would continue her drive back into the city of Vale, having already missed the ferry to Vale thanks to her impromptu chicken run with the redheaded stranger and the idea of waiting another two hours for the next one was a less than appealing prospect. "I should just head back to Beacon, besides I think it's time Ruby and I had a bit of a womanly heart to heart." The blonde would grin as she revved the accelerator to make her way through the traffic heavy streets and set her sights on Beacon Academy, hoping that Goodwitch wasn't playing Hall Monitor out in the courtyard again.

Sora would be walking around the dining hall of Beacon as the members of Team RWBY were busy talking amongst themselves, leaving the spiky-haired young man holding a dinner tray and marveling at the food options available to him. "We didn't have this good a spread back home on Destiny Island!" The keybearer would start grabbing little things here and there, be it a dinner roll, sausage links or some other superfluous item. It would be until he decided to reach for the salad tongs that he would encounter another hand reaching for them as well. Both sides immediately stopping short as Sora found himself looking into a pair of vibrant green eyes of a girl in a Beacon Academy uniform with her hair tied into a loose ponytail as he felt his heart temporarily skip a beat, before he remembered what he was originally doing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were going for the salad tongs as well." She would say this while giving him a confident smile, reaching instead for a small cup and filling it with nuts instead. "I don't believe I seen you around here before, are you a transfer student here? We've been getting quite a few of them lately." She would set down her cup alongside the other healthy options that had already been assembled on her tray, holding out her hand and giving him a bright smile in response. "My name's Pyrrha Nikos, and it's an honor to meet you."

Sora could feel the blush rising across his face as Pyrrha continued holding out her hand before finally registering what he was supposed to do in such a situation, shaking her hand with his own gloved one. "My name's Sora, and it's nice to meet you too Pyrrha."

The red-haired spear-maiden would release his hand and let out a small chuckle before reaching for some fresh fruit. "That's quite the impressive grip you have there Sora, you must go through some intense training." She would finish loading up her tray alongside him while talking over how he had come to be entered into Beacon, with the latter carefully glossing over the situation with the Heartless upon strict orders from Professor Ozpin and instead talking about how he missed his friends back home on the island.

"Well, I'm sorry your friends couldn't join you on your journey here. But I do hope that myself and the rest of the students at Beacon can make your time here more comfortable Sora." Pyrrha genuinely felt bad for his situation as she looked over to the table where her friends were eating, she couldn't imagine herself being separated from her teammates from any stretch of time without feeling a gaping hole in her heart where they would be. "Would you like to sit with us for today?" She would notice his eyes trailing towards Team RWBY's table and smile lightly. "Unless you have other plans in mind?"

Sora would mull over the idea of joining the crimsonette-haired girl and her friends, but after seeing the happy smile upon her face and after having spent the majority or the day alongside her in fixing up their dorm room closet to make it more livable it seemed like the best idea to leave Ruby to hang out and talk with her own friends while getting the chance to make some new friends of his own. "Sure, I'd be happy to sit with you Pyrrha."

He would dutifully follow the red-haired Huntress back to where she was sitting, surprised to see a very energetic orange-haired girl shoveling down a stack of pancakes while the dark-haired young man next to her ate his meal in silence, the blonde-haired teen sitting across from them would smile upon seeing Pyrrha. "I was wondering what was taking so long up there, I figured you were trying to load up your tray again.." The young man would notice Sora and smile politely as he scooted over to let the two of them sit at the table, the red-haired woman would soon find herself sitting between the two young men before giving a bright smile. "Sora, I would like to introduce you to my friends and fellow teammates if that's okay with everyone." A muffled noise of affirmation could be heard from a ravenous Nora while Ren gently placed his hand on her shoulder in order to get her full attention, while Jaune tried to awkwardly hold out his hand for the obligatory handshake.

"J-Jaune Arc, any friend of Pyrrha's is a friend of mine. You new to Beacon?" The blonde knight would laugh nervously as the spiky-haired Keybearer returned his handshake, both sides giving a grateful smile as they had managed to do so without accidentally brushing against the redhead in between them.

"I've only been here since last night so yeah..I guess I'm pretty new here Jaune." Sora would rub the back of his head nervously as Pyrrha continued with the introductions, gesturing to perky orange-haired girl who was already preparing to leave her seat. "Umm, well that was Nora, as you could probably tell she has a healthy appetite for pancakes. It sometimes makes morning meals very interesting for those of us in the dining hall." She would then gesture to the quiet dark-haired young man across from them, even as he calmly watched Nora from out of the corner of his eye. "And this is Ren, Nora's partner and something of her keeper." The young man known as Ren would shake his head at Pyrrha's statement before politely shaking Sora's hand.

"Keeper is a bit of a misnomer, I encourage Nora to do as she likes..as long as it doesn't involve bodily harm to others. Ren would sigh quietly before returning to finish what remained of his meal and Jaune simply rolled his eyes at the gunslinger's comments.

"See, he says this but then how many times have we heard Nora threaten to break Cardin's legs this week alone?" The fair-haired Knight would glance over at the bully in question, not surprised in the least to see him pointing and laughing at the bunny-eared Faunus known as Velvet Scarlatina. "Then again some folks clearly deserve what they have coming to them." Pyrrha would give a look of disgust at Cardin's behavior before sighing sadly and watching Velvet make her way back to her own table.

"People like Cardin Winchester are honestly part of a bigger problem out there in the world, children raised upon skewed ideologies to think that Faunus are inferior and should be treated as nothing more than animals when their lives are just as hard and daunting as a normal person's!"

Nora would return to her seat mid-outburst and immediately set her sights on Cardin like a shark sensing blood in the water, it hadn't been the first time that JNPR's ace had decided to go off on a tangent but she hoped that this would be the one occasion that they would let her off the leash and break his legs. "Just say the word guys, no one'll ever know what happened!"

Ren would sigh and gently place a hand upon his partner's shoulder before she could leap up from her seat. "Nora, we're in a dining hall full of people. Even with an invisibility Semblance, I don't doubt that you would be the prime suspect if Cardin Winchester were to suffer any kind of grievous injury." His calmly spoken words would cause the orange-haired berserker to frown before remembering the stack of pancakes in front of her, eagerly digging in while mumbling something about a "stay of execution".

Sora would watch the others eat while quietly contemplating just how different the world of Remnant had become in his eyes since first showing up. _"I suppose not all of the Faunus are as die-hard about gaining their rights as those ones in the White Fang were."_ The spiky-haired young man would continue to watch on quietly as Velvet began making her way back to the tray receptacle, intent on just placing her used tray back where it belonged and not expecting the outstretched foot of one Cardin Winchester to trip her and send her tumbling to the floor.

"Hey!" The azure-eyed Keybearer would rise from his seat and go to help the downed rabbit Faunus, trying his best to ignore the howling laughter of Team CRDL as he did so. "I can't believe those guys could be so petty, are you alright?" He would carefully help the bunny-eared girl back to her feet slowly, even as she nodded quietly.

"It isn't the first time they've done this, and it probably won't be the last either." The Faunus girl would look to Sora and give a quiet smile as she admired his Azure eyes. "I don't believe we've met before, I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina."

He would return her kind-hearted smile with a cheery grin of his own before rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Great to meet'cha Velvet, I'm Sora!" Before he could continue his cheery introduction, something hard would hit the back of his head, not expecting someone to take a shot at him of all people.

"Great, the last thing we need is more transfer trash from another school. It's bad enough we have that annoying mutt on school grounds, now we get some yokel?" Cardin would smirk while casting a pointed gaze towards the sandy-haired teenager, even as his teammates mumbled in agreement. "Honestly, it's like Ozpin's really lowered the admissions standards around here lately."

The crowd around them would fall into a hush as all eyes suddenly fell upon the azure-eyed young man in anticipation of his response, even as Velvet would turn to look upon her tormentors.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here Cardin, but didn't that mutt just destroy you guys last month during the sparring matches? I'd hardly think you're in any position to make sleights against Faunus considering the beating that you had been put through."

The leader of Team CRDL would scowl as he stood up from his table, his henchman down the same as they stared down the suddenly emboldened Velvet. "Yeah, too bad he's not here to save your ass this time you little-" Sora would step in front of Velvet with a hardened look upon his face, knowing better than to summon his Keyblade in a crowded area.

"Why do you insist on bullying them, aren't you and the Faunus on the same side? Human or Faunus, rich or poor, it doesn't matter if we're all taken down by the Heart- By the Grimm." He would regret his slipup even as Cardin simply grit his teeth in agitation, seeing that the Keybearer wasn't about to back down like the few other morons that dared to step up to him.

"I'd rather be eaten alive then saved by one of **them**." He would gesture for the rest of his team to make for the exit, knowing that there would be another time for him to get their payback. "C'mon, we've got better things to do then pander to losers." The four of them would saunter out of the dining hall, acting as if there weren't dozens of questioning eyes following their rather timely retreat.

Yang would pass by Team CDRL as she made her way into the dining hall while carrying a brown paper bag from a greasy spoon of a diner that Bálor had recommended, it wasn't her usual fare but she needed something quick to eat while making her way back to the school.

"What'd I miss, someone put Cardin and his boys in their place again?" The blonde would take a seat next to her younger sibling, ruffling her hair gently as the younger girl "eep'ed in surprise at the sudden affectionate gesture. "Take it easy sis, I think it's about time we ended this stupid little spat we've been having." The other members of Team RWBY would each do a double-take, not expecting Yang to be the one to finally declare a ceasefire.

Especially since she had been the one to start said feud.

"This is a welcome surprise, I honestly didn't think you had in you to be the bigger woman here Xiao Long." Weiss would say this with an obnoxious smile as she eyed the greasy burger that Yang was about to bite into. "Although, considering what you're about to dine on I suppose you're used to being "bigger" in a sense." The heiress would take a practiced bite of her apple even as Yang returned her smile with a hearty grin.

"Ya got that right Ice Queen, I'm definitely bigger then you..especially where it counts." She would give the heiress a cheeky wink while Blake gave a quiet but grateful smile at her partner's saucy humor, it had been something that had been sorely missed during the sibling rivalry.

"It's good to see you back in brighter spirits Yang, I guess that drive home did you some good after all." The feline Faunus seemed genuinely content that her team was finally finding their rhythm once more, add to that a cheery and personable transfer student joining their ranks and things definitely seemed to be looking up for them. _"Sora..this guy is definitely going to be someone who'll accomplish great things while he's here."_ Blake would make a mental note to watch the young man closely, noticing the brief slipup during his speech and deciding to question him on it when she had further information.

Yang would make a few muffled noises of happiness as she finished polishing off her burger with gusto, crumpling up the wrapper as she looked over at her partner with a smile. "Yeah, about that drive home. Man do I have a story for you guys." The brawler would make sure that all the attention was on her before launching into her encounter with the red-haired biker.

Ozpin would be sitting at his desk, meticulously and calmly filing papers for the school's budget and other expenditures as any good Headmaster was prone to do. It was a necessary evil, but one that he still would rather push off on Glynda if it weren't for the fact that she had retired to her chambers earlier that evening.

"Bureaucracy is truly the bane of the ambitious, three different forms to stamp in order to approve extra brooms. It's madness." The silver-haired man would sigh tiredly as he signed and stamped yet another form, tempted to just throw the entire stack into the shredder and instead pay for the supplies with his own nest egg. "I can just see Glynda's face now: Headmasters have the responsibility of setting a good example for their students, even during the most tedious and trying of times." He had to admit that even though the woman could be a bit of a wet blanket on certain issues, that she truly loved each and every student that passed through their hallowed halls.

Even the more problematic ones.

 _"Lone Wolf to Emerald City, come in Emerald City!"_ A voice would sound through the secret Com Line that he reserved for emergency situations, outside of the primary members of his Order there was only one other soul that knew it's existence.

 _"Lone Wolf to Emerald City! Emergency!"_

Ozpin would set the line to Audio Only before deciding to open it, he wasn't a paranoid man but since the council had decided to back Ironwood's proposal to increase security for the Vytal Festival he decided that it would be better to keep things closer to the vest then give those close-minded souls more ammo. "Report, what's the problem Lone Wolf?" The sounds of heavy gunfire could be heard in the background, giving him a slight idea of the situation his wild card had stepped in.

 _"It's bad here Oz, these guys carrying heavier firepower then anticipated!"_ The sound of returning gunfire could be heard as the person on the other end attempted to fight back, although it sounded like it was a vain effort. _"I need professional help here Ozpin, contact Ironwood, call out the troops! I can't keep this up forever!"_ The sounds of an explosion would boom throughout the line, temporarily disrupting communications.

 _"For the love of God Oz, I'm begging you-"_ The sound would briefly become distorted as another explosion sounded in the background. _"-Send Team RWBY!"_ The line would go dead with that last outburst, even as Ozpin used the signal from the Wolf's scroll to pinpoint his general location.

"Hold strong my boy, hold strong for just a little longer."

 _ **Well, I guess it's about that time that I make an announcement I was hoping to avoid making since last chapter. But given the circumstances (and the poll) I don't got a choice.**_

 _ **Long Road Home...is now an AU fic.**_

 _ **Honestly, I kinda figured that it would come to this once Sora and Ruby started hitting it off so well. Not to mention that the events happening in this story are already differing from the main plot (Cardin and Co. weren't beaten as badly, Weiss isn't completely head over heels for Ruby, Blake is a lot nicer, etc)**_

 _ **So yeah. Welcome to the..4th AU?**_

 _ **1st: Includes One Bad Day, Ghosts, and Gift of the Lunar Rose**_

 _ **2nd: Includes Addiction and a follow up that I'll eventually get to**_

 _ **3rd: Includes Roses and Moonlight, A moment in time, Dissonance**_

 _ **4th: HERE!**_

 _ **Take solace in that my focus will be primarily on this fic, unless you really want an update to a different fic then drop me a PM**_

 _ **Until then, read, favorite, follow, review, vote in the poll (if you haven't already) meanwhile, I'm off to read more Red Hood comics then watch Dean Ambrose's first RAW as WWE Champion**_

 _ **Have a good one!**_


	7. Destino: Act One

_**Man alive was this a bear to get out the gate, real-life issues, a moody computer, and a runaway dog were just a few of the things I had to deal with while trying to get this chapter typed up and out on time**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Ozpin would rub his temples tiredly as he watched Glynda explain the current mess to the small group of Huntsman and Huntresses gathered in his office, it was an unfortunate occurrence but he couldn't afford to lose such an important piece of his plan.

"You mean to tell me that you sent a former convict and dishonored soldier after the White Fang?! Bálor's a nut job!" Blake would ball her fists angrily as she glared at the man who had promised to lead them during their time as students within Beacon Academy, only to find that he had been using an emotionally battered teenager as his hunting dog. Such actions had made him look no better than the humans that the White Fang were fighting against.

But Ozpin would simply wait out the rest of her furious rant while taking stock of the individuals he had assembled for this impromptu rescue mission: Naturally he had chosen Blake to lead due to her previous encounters with the group of rouge Faunus alongside Team RWBY, and thanks to Oobleck's notes during the events of the team's first mission at Mountain Glenn he knew that the feline had strong feelings towards the White Fang's actions.

"Are you quite done exploding at me Miss Belladonna, because every minute we waste here arguing amongst ourselves is another minute of torture to that young man." The Headmaster would level a hardened gaze at the raven-haired feline as she returned an equally bitter one back at him, noticing that the tension in the room about to come to a boil one of the other members of this ragtag group would step forward and clear her throat audibly.

"Professor, I understand that this..particular individual is a bit of a special ticket for you, but you're asking us to head into an area heavily infested with Grimm and riddled with a group of well-armed, ill-intentioned Faunus with a group of very different individuals." Coco Adel would gesture to the other individuals standing beside her: Aside from the already furious Blake Belladonna who was still in a heated stare-down with Ozpin, there was Emerald Sustrai who was one of the handful of transfer students from Haven Academy. Sora, who had recently been involved in an altercation with Team CRDL after the foursome had once again set their sights upon her friend and fellow teammate Velvet. (She still had yet to thank him for that.)

But the strangest addition to their motley crew of misfits was a little brown and white Corgi known as Zwei.

"Perhaps you'd like to rethink your choice in individuals for this maniac shit-storm you're about to send us on? Maybe pick some more simpatico choices to increase our odds of success here?"

Emerald would snicker and shake her head at the fashionista's pointed words while looking around at Ozpin's office with a bored expression upon her face, she was still in shock that Goodwitch had asked for her in the first place. Her first loyalty was to Cinder above all else, but in order to maintain her cover as just another student of Haven she would have to acquiesce to her superior and follow orders.

"Aww, is somebody afraid that she can't handle the job without her precious lucky bunny?" The green-haired thief would grin as she watched the other woman's face more into one of barely restrained rage, even as Goodwitch shook her head at the copious amounts of fighting from both in and outside of the small group.

"Regardless of you all feel about our missing student, the mission at hand, or even each other, you've been ordered to work together for the time being." The older woman would tap a few buttons upon her scroll as she forwarded the details of the mission to each of them individually. "You'll have one hour to prepare whatever supplies you require for this mission. Sora; as you yourself have the least amount of experience dealing with the creatures of Grimm, I expect you to be extra mindful of your surroundings while out in the field. Carefully observe the others and do your best to contribute to the mission in whatever way you feel necessary."

The azure-eyed young man had remained quiet up to that point, wondering just why someone as wise as Ozpin would send one lone student into a dangerous situation, it didn't add up with the man's usually calculating and meticulous nature.

"I will but..Professor are you sure it's not a better idea to send someone more better suited then us, why don't the Kingdom's soldiers step in to lend us support?" The others (sans Emerald and Zwei) would echo a similar sentiment while Ozpin shrewdly looked over the young man in question, unlike the other members of the group he had seen some of what the Keybearer was capable of and despite Glynda's worries knew that he would handle the situation just fine. "I mean, I have no problems working with anyone here but I think that a dysfunctional group like ours isn't going to hold up very well out there."

The silver-haired man would close his eyes before calling up a diagram of the mission area once more, making sure to zoom in on the surrounding areas.

"Your question is an intelligent one Sora, and normally we would request aid from the Valysian military forces in a dire situation just like this one." He would gesture to the mountainous areas surrounding his Lone Wolf's last known location, before bringing up grainy satellite images that had been uploaded to him. "However, due to the heavily rough terrain surrounding the area there would be no possible way for our troops to land safely without possibly being discovered by hostile forces."

Blake would calmly be analyzing the map herself, immediately recognizing it as one of the White Fang's forward operations bases and trying her best to hold back a shudder as she heard whispers of her former partner's voice in her heart.

 _"One day Blake, one day we will light the fires of revolution and free our brothers and sisters of their bondage."_ The feel of his hands caressing her cheek like a gentle flower, the scent of his musk as he leaned in close to whisper into her ear. _"One day my darling, we'll descend upon this rancid rotting world like a cleansing light."_

Blake tried her best to remain calm throughout the flashback, even as Ozpin continued to explain the finer details of how the team would land about a day and half's walk from where they believed the wolf's last known location was before being cut off.

 _"You're wrong Adam, cleansing this world won't change anything..it'll only serve to create more bloodshed and tears by those left behind, a revolution isn't the answer. We need to rise above the darkness and the shame, the torture and the pain, above the very bindings of our fate!"_ The feline would gasp upon feeling a hand upon her shoulder, turning back in surprise to see Sora looking at her in concern with Zwei doing his best to nuzzle her leg and bringing yet another shock to her system.

"Everything alright Blake? Ozpin's already dismissed us." The spiky-haired young man would watch as the raven-haired Huntress slowly seemed to snap back into reality and look around to see similar looks of concern upon the faces of Ozpin and Goodwitch, her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment as she tried to reorient herself and get back to her normal self.

"I'm fine..just going over everything in my head, this is going to be quite the ride we're going on and I'd rather not be caught by surprise." She would step away from Zwei's comforting nuzzle and turn towards the door, knowing better than to involve another friend in her tumultuous past as a member of the White Fang and deciding instead to race for the elevator and leave everyone else guessing at what was going on in the young woman's head.

Sora would be riding the elevator down from Ozpin's office with Zwei sitting patiently by his side, he had spent the previous day getting to know the members of Team JNPR (in particular Pyrrha) and had genuinely enjoyed hanging out with them. But now that he had been called into action by Ozpin it would give him time to reflect on just what he was supposed to be doing in Remnant himself.

 _"I know that I should be worried about this rescue mission, a student is involved and he no doubt needs our help but I'm still a Keyblade user. I still have to be on the lookout for Heartless while I'm here!"_ He would feel the weight of his weapon in his hand and looked down at the ivory white Kingdom Key, giving a small smile as the Corgi sniffed at it curiously. "I know buddy, the Keyblade is pretty amazing to see. But there's also a lot of responsibility entrusted to someone who carries it." He would will the weapon away before kneeling down to calm pet Zwei, his heart heavy with the feeling of friends left behind. "Ya know Zwei, this is one of the few times where I've had to go it alone in my journey. I've always had Donald and Goofy looking out for me during my adventures, and if not them then my friend Riku, or even King Mickey stepping in when times got really rough." Zwei would blink and lick Sora's cheek gently upon seeing the frown on his face, earning a chuckle from the forlorn young man.

"It seems like you've had quite the insane journey before getting here to us." A familiar voice would break through the silence between the boy and the dog as both would slowly look up to see the smiling face of one Pyrrha Nikos "Hello again."

Sora's heart would skip a beat almost immediately, wondering just what was going on with himself every time it happened. "Hey Pyrrha, I didn't see you there." He would stand up while Zwei exited the elevator and made his way over to the statuesque spear maiden and giving a friendly bark hello before taking off for Team RWBY's dorm, while the Keybearer himself sighed and looked over at the red-haired young woman with a grateful smile. "I guess you've had a busy day with classes?" The sandy-haired young man would look around to see none of the other members of Team JNPR standing alongside her as they normally would be.

"Yes, well Professor Oobleck insisted upon walking us through the very complicated beginnings of the Managerie Uprising, in very minute detail, for two hours." Pyrrha would give a slightly dropped smile as she recounted the info-crammed session in vivid detail before dispelling it quickly. "So, are you busy right now? We could grab a bite to eat in the Dining Hall." She would smile brightly at the thought of getting to spend more time with the newcomer and getting to know more about his adventures, it had been one of their main talking points the night before even though she had felt bad for not telling him more about herself.

"I'm sorry Pyrrha, but Professor Ozpin's asked me to do something for him and..well I'm going to be off-campus for a little while." Sora would frown as he saw the spear maiden's smile slowly fade and become a more neutral expression, wondering if deep down that he should divulge the details of his mission to her.

"Sora it's alright, I understand that you have things that need to be taken care of, whether it be for Professor Ozpin or a personal journey that you don't feel comfortable talking about." Pyrrha would say this while placing her hand gently on his shoulder with a slight smile. "Just remember that no matter where you go, or how difficult the journey may seem at times that we're always with you."

He could feel the familiar heat of a blush crawling upon his cheeks once again before giving her his trademark goofy grin and nodding firmly. "Thanks Pyrrha, I'll make sure to remember that whenever I feel down." The spiky-haired teenager would blush further as she returned his elation in kind before giving him a wave goodbye and heading off to the dining hall by herself. _"Pyrrha's right, I may be far from home but I've got friends here at Beacon too. I'm never really alone, they're in my heart too..they're my power!"_

With his heart reignited by determination thanks to his talk with Pyrrha, Sora would begin heading back to the dorm he shared with Ruby in order to gather what little gear he could think of bringing with him, he wouldn't be surprised to see Zwei already there scratching at the door curiously as the little Corgi had taken a liking to tossing about the plushie versions of the Bullet Club.

"What do you mean that Ozpin wants both Sora and Zwei to go out on a mission, we're part of a team, Team RWBY's dealt with the White Fang a bunch of times already!" Ruby's voice would be heard through the door as Sora made his way over to open it, only to stop once he heard a second voice in the room.

"Believe me Ruby, I tried my hardest to get Ozpin to budge on this subject but he wouldn't hear any of it. Even Sora tried to get him to send in the military instead of us, and even then Ozpin gave some weird explanation about how the terrain would keep them from getting into the White Fang's base!" The keybearer would do his best to keep quiet as he attempted to keep eavesdropping in on their conversation, only for Zwei to bark suddenly and alert the two Huntresses to their presence.

"Get in here Sora! Maybe you can help explain the situation more clearly since I can't get through to her." Blake would look around the room she now found herself standing in, surprised to see that things were not as blank and lifeless during her last visit when she had reluctantly helped the crimsonette move in following her dispute with Weiss.

"Everything Blake said is true Ruby, we really did our best to try to change Professor Ozpin's mind and explore other options but he didn't seem to want to budge on any of it." He would frown in thought as he tried to think back on Goodwitch's explanation for the mission, knowing that he wasn't exactly giving it his full attention "Basically, a student on assignment has gone missing and Ozpin's named myself, Blake, Zwei, and a couple of other people to go and get him back from the White Fang's clutches." Sora would suddenly realize why he had stopped paying attention after the older Huntress had dropped such a superfluous piece of information as he looked at the photo on the nearby desk. "Didn't you say that a friend of yours was away on an assignment, you don't think it could be him do you?"

Blake would sigh lightly as she looked to the hooded reaper in time to see her friend's silver eyes go wide in shock as the same realization hit her like a ton of bricks, the fact that Bálor was the missing soul in question was the one detail that she wanted to avoid divulging at all costs. The two of them having gotten particularly close in the last month and a half of sharing a dorm together, any act of aggression towards one would immediately cause the other to spring to their defense.

"Alright that tears it, I'm definitely coming along with you all now and there's no way I'm going to be talked out of it this time!" The crimsonette would immediately begin prepping her travel pack with blistering speed as she used her Semblance to quickly gather the necessary medicine, supplies, and ammo clips for Crescent Rose before zipping it up and tossing it to a surprised Blake. "My buddy's life is on the line and I'm sure as heck not about to sit around here on the sidelines twiddling my thumbs like some cheap side character in a manga! Besides I know he would do the same for me if the roles were reversed and I was the one who had been kidnapped!" The crimsonette-haired Huntress would immediately begin working on a second supply bag for when she reunited with her roommate, filling it with a spare change of clothes as well as extra supplies just in case he was wounded or (in the more likely case) hungry.

"Ruby; you know Ozpin won't allow you to come with us and that if you were to somehow make it onto the ship with us, you'd be going into an area that is crawling with Grimm and heavily fortified by White Fang soldiers who happen to be using weaponry that made even Ozpin and Goodwitch implore us to use extreme caution if we were ever sighted by the enemy!" Blake would watch as Ruby's expression became more and more disheartened with each word spoken, normally this would prove to be a small deterrent for the young leader and in fact would only serve to embolden her further. "Besides, if anything were to happen to you during the mission and you were to get hurt..Yang would never forgive me, and heaven help us all if he were to find out that you suffered due to his own screw-up." The feline would shudder as she imagined the sight of a crazed wolf tearing apart the base in search of revenge for his Little Rose, and even in a rage induced adrenaline rush he would prove little sport if he were to end up clashing with Adam. "I've seen enough friends and loved ones die in the name of the White Fang's crusade, I really don't want to add your name to the memorial I keep in my heart Ruby. Please understand that I'm only doing this to keep you safe." The feline would gently place her hand upon Ruby's shoulder and give a sympathetic smile, knowing that the cookie-loving young woman cherished all of her friends and would go to absurd lengths to ensure their safety.

Sora would see the hurt in his friend's eyes and ball a fist in anguish as he knew all too well the pain of losing a dear friend, the reason he had even begun his journey was to find his friends Kairi and Riku and bring them back with him to Destiny Island when their war against the Heartless finally ceased. "Ruby, I know it might not mean much coming from someone who hasn't even met this "Bálor" guy but I promise you that we'll our try our hardest to make sure he gets back to Beacon in one piece!" The azure-eyed young man would nod firmly as the fires of determination shone bright, and even Zwei would bark loudly to back up the young man's sentiment.

"Alright guys..as much as it sucks to be left out of a mission, I'm trusting you guys to bring our friend home safe and sound." Ruby would give the same kind of determined nod that the sandy-haired Keybearer had given her, wanting to believe in the bravery that they were giving her. "Also, when you see Bálor tell him that I'm super sorry about the plushie." She would blink and notice Zwei going to town on the plushie of Tama Tonga and tearing the arm off with gusto. "Umm, I guess I should say Plushies."

Emerald would be busy packing her supplies as Cinder looked over the mission dossier that Glynda had given the thief, smiling cruelly as she read over the details.

"Well now, this explains why our plans in the northern region of vale have been slowed down somewhat. Ozpin has a little toy soldier to do his bidding." The raven-haired pyromancer would cross her ankles as she finished reading the mission file at hand, laying Emerald's scroll next to her as her mind went to work on how best to counter Ozpin's machinations. "I'd like you to proceed with the mission at hand and make sure to recover his little pet, even if it means we have to dispose of some troops along the way."

This would pique the verdant-haired thief's interest as she looked over to her superior with a curious expression. "But aren't we working with the White Fang right now? Destroying our own troops wouldn't exactly help boost morale between us, especially since their leader had a bit of a hair trigger in terms of trying to kill us." Emerald would shake her head as she loading up extra ammo clips for her weapons before holstering them behind her back, and beginning to work on packing up superfluous supplies and even some snacks for the journey ahead of her. "I still don't understand why we're even working with Ozpin's demands at this point when we could just end this in one fell swoop with my Semblance and your powers, we should already be done with things here after your little virus made it's way into the system!"

She would finish packing and stand up, turning to find Cinder's glass saber aimed directly at her throat and a scowl on the beautiful woman's face.

"What is it that I constantly tell you children when you start getting bigheaded plans and schemes all on your own? Come on Emmy, I know you've heard me say these words more than once." Cinder would stroke her associate's cheek gently with her free hand even though the look in the pyromancer's eyes was cold and unfeeling, watching on quietly as Emerald's body trembled in fear as she quickly recalled the phrase in question. "Say it!"

The dark-skinned thief would gulp audibly as she tried to keep her heart from racing out of panic. "D-D-Don't….Don't think…Obey." She would breathe a sigh of relief as her mistress pulled her sword away and gently wiped the tears out of the young woman's eyes with a confident smile.

"That's a good girl Emerald, now go on and make sure that our cover story remains undisturbed by any means necessary." Cinder would watch as the young woman quietly picked up her bags and left her room with a slight bow of her head. "Enjoy whatever small victory you think this will earn you Ozpin, for soon the real show will commence, and by the time our final note has played the curtain will finally fall upon Beacon Academy." She would hold out her hand quietly as a tiny orange flame sprung to life with a satisfied smile.

 _ **Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the first major story arc of Long Road Home. The rescue mission, or as it will be referred to in chapter form: Destino. Wherein the main antagonists will be the White Fang and the hidden threat that is Cinder's Faction**_

 _ **Which begs the question: How could they have been so hidden when Qrow got a good look at them after they had robbed Emerald of half her power, that's been bugging me for quite a bit now.**_

 _ **In the meantime read, review, vote in the poll and I'll be back with act two.**_


	8. Honest Souls

_**Holy hell, this just beat out my record for longest time taking to complete a chapter: I started at 9 a.m. and now it's 2:15 in the morning Friday!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Sora would begin making his way over to the Bullhead waiting on Beacon's landing pad alongside Blake and a very eager Zwei, the rest of their team already sitting on board and leveling murderous gazes at one another.

"How the heck are we ever going to get along with those two literally trying to stare a hole through each other, based on everything Ozpin's told us about this mission- which isn't much mind you, we're going to need to work together just to make it out alive." The Keybearer would carefully hop aboard the ship with Blake reluctantly holding the corgi as she made her way onboard as well, she would sigh and set the little dog down in the seat next to Sora before looking over at the contentious duo and shaking her head in disgust.

"I don't care what little beef you two have going, but until we get back from this mission with our missing Huntsman you two ARE going to being functioning and well meaning teammates and work with one another am I clear?" The raven-haired Huntress was already in quite the mood after learning what Ozpin had done, something which had been further compounded thanks to Ruby's anxiety towards the situation itself and wasn't about to let a petty squabble make an already difficult job even more difficult. "Am. I. Clear?!" She would remove Gambol Shroud and hold it between the two annoyed Huntresses, who both seemed slightly taken aback by her action before calming down deciding to busy themselves with other things as Blake finally took a calming breath and took a seat across from Sora who was now holding Zwei.

"Crisis averted, happy now?"

The azure-eyed young man would frown as the Bullhead finally began to take off from Beacon and leave the safety of the school behind, it would be the first time he had seen Vale from a truly aerial view and he would smile in wonder as he looked down at the city.

"Wow, the view is amazing!" He would lean over and try to get a clearer view of the city even as the Bullhead began to increase speed in their haste to get to the assigned mission area, the buildings and its citizens looking quite small and blurry at this point. "Oh man, I can't wait to tell Riku and Kairi about this when we finally meet up again, they'll totally get a kick out of it!"

Emerald would hear this and laugh quietly as she looked over at the excitable young man's demeanor. "You really don't get out much do you new kid?" The verdant-haired thief would lean her head back against her seat as she tried to keep her mind focused on the orders Cinder had given her, trying her hardest to suppress the fear that she had felt when the woman had held a blade at her throat only minutes earlier. "It's just a plane ride, nothing special about it all."

Coco however would take a different stance as the matter as she crossed her ankles while looking out her own window with a slight smirk. "Give the poor guy a break, for all we know he was probably raised in a place that doesn't usually get much air traffic in the first place." She would lower her sunglasses to get a better look as the ship they were traveling in finally left the city of Vale behind, wondering if Velvet was going to be okay at Beacon now that she was off on a mission.

Would this be the one time Cardin and his goons took things a step too far?

Would Yatsuhashi finally snap if they were actually try anything?

These were questions that consistently bothered the normally confident Huntress whenever the team had separated for holiday breaks. "Besides, it's the ones who haven't seen the same kind of Remnant we have that are often the kind of people who seen the beauty and wonder in the things we take for granted, like plane rides." The fashionista would look back at the spiky-haired young man with a measure of respect, he didn't have to pitch and save her friend back there in the dining hall but he still did so because of reasons known only to him. "And if we're being totally honest, I think we can use more people just like him."

Sora would hear this and smile nervously, not sure how to react to the older woman's sentiments, it hadn't been the first time someone had tried to label him as a simple country bumpkin but he never really let it get to him under the circumstances. Especially now that they had a shared goal to strive for at the moment.

Back at Beacon Academy, Yang Xiao Long had decided to spend her Saturday sitting alone and trying to repair whatever damage that her Bumblebee had incurred after her little joyride on the highway. "I swear to God if I ever find that redheaded jackass again, I am gonna beat him like a mule!" The blonde would sigh in frustration as she removed the bent kickstand and set to work upon installing the new one, working on her motorcycle was one of the few things that helped quiet the rage that she had been feeling for the better part of a month. Since she of all people had been rejected by a boy who she seemed to like, even going as far to doll herself in a nice red satin dress for his viewing pleasure before deciding to surprise the wolf-Faunus with a visit to his room.

 _"I appreciate the effort Yang but..you're just not my type."_ It was one simple phrase, seemingly innocuous coming from those kinds of men who flaunted their confidence around the way a wealthy individual would flash a wad of cash in order to make themselves appear more appealing to the opposite gender. But the way he had said it, with a voice devoid of any posturing and arrogance, just cold hard fact was a jarring sentiment that left even someone with her confidence just a little bit rattled.

And very, very pissed off.

"Pompous little asshole just doesn't get what makes a woman tick, head's probably full of sand!" She could feel her Semblance bubbling just below the surface, aching for its freedom in response to her pent up aggression and insistence to give the little shit a beating. But the brawler would stop what she was doing and take a calming breath, losing her cool now would solve nothing. "I just don't understand guys sometimes, one minute they're making complicated flashy entrances in the middle of a sparring arena despite a heavy chorus of boos. And then they're shacking up with your baby sister after her rich partner tries to stick her with an ankle monitor..That reminds me, I've still gotta ask Weiss what the hell she thinking trying to do that to Ruby! I mean, with me at least there's a modicum of understanding in doing so."

Yang would grin as she thought about her previous visits to Junior's club and how she had managed to clear out the place as she searched for information on her missing mother. She even the audacity to beat the daylights out of Junior and his two floozy bodyguards before running into her younger sibling as she was leaving the place. "Then again, I doubt an ankle monitor would do much to curb my appetite for adventure at the end of the day." Invigorated at the prospect of going on another grand adventure after finally getting her Bumblebee back in better than tip-top shape Yang would get back to work on repairing the machine, maybe she would even take Blake with her just to get her away from her crowded bookshelves and travel the roads of Vale for a few months with her partner by her side. _"Blake, I don't know what mission Ozpin decided to send you..and even more bafflingly Zwei on, but please…just come home safe."_ The brawler would wipe some sweat off of her brow and finish getting the new kickstand back into place before beginning to inspect the scratches and scrapes on her paint job, and sighing heavily as she rolled up her sleeves and began looking around for the necessary paint required to begin the process of bringing her baby back to its former luster and glory.

Ruby Rose found herself facing a daunting task as she looked upon the wreckage of a tattered Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga plushie as she looked to busy herself in the wake of her friends and dog going off on a manic rescue mission without her.

"Man, I didn't think Zwei had this kind of energy in him." She would gently look over at the rest of the stuffed plushies assembled upon the lone desk, wondering how she would begin to deal with this arduous task in front of her.

Or at least she would be, if she hadn't already asked for help well ahead of time.

"I gotta say Ruby; when you said you need my help for a very important project, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Jaune Arc would mutter this while looking down at the ruined plushies with a very perplexed look upon his face, looking over at a hopeful looking Ruby Rose. "Although I should've guessed something was up when you asked me to bring my sewing kit, which reminds me: How did you know I even had one?"

Ruby would look over at the fair-haired knight with a lopsided smile before helping him set the sewing kit down gently on the floor. "Well, to be honest it was Nora who told me. I originally went to go ask Pyrrha for her help but lo and behold…" The crimsonette-haired young woman would let her words trail off into the air with a bit of nervous laughter. "I'm really sorry, I just wanted my friend to have something good to come home to after his mission."

Jaune would try his best not to laugh at the younger woman's words, even as he noticed the sincere look upon her face before finally let it out as some weird amalgamation of a snort and a chuckle. "You mean he needs something else to come home to besides you?"

This would surprise the red-hooded Huntress as she felt her cheeks heat to life with a casual blush, not expecting him to see her of all people in such a light.

"Aww c'mon Jaune, I'm not that amazing a roommate. I'm just a normal gal with normal knees." The cookie loving "normal-kneed" young woman would begin absentmindedly gathering what little stuffing that Zwei hadn't romped around in.

Jaune would kneel down and help her gather what little fluff he could while hiding a compassionate smile of his own. "Oh really? Don't tell me you already forgot about the dreaded "Willow Incident"" He would watch as the silver-eyed Huntress froze up and felt the gathered stuffing leave her grip as she seemed to be recollecting the debacle in question.

It had happened a month ago, with the whole of the freshman class once again gathered in the amphitheater to practice sparring with one another in order to both demonstrate their skills in hand-to-hand combat as well as practice for the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament that would be happening later that year.

Ruby was one of the few currently on the dais as she and Jaune clashed in a shower of sparks as the curved edge of Crescent Rose ended up hitting the shield of Corcea Mors as the crowd ooh-ed and ahh-ed in wonder as the two fighters each jumped back from one another, Ruby gave a graceful twirl while spinning her scythe overheard with a flourish of rose petals trailing behind her as Jaune slowly wobbled back to his feet looking only slightly worse for wear.

"Wow Jaune, you're really gotten better at handling close quarters combat since the last time we sparred together like this!" The crimsonette would ready herself for another rush as she smiled happily, being able to let loose with her "Sweetheart" was one of the best parts of her week and the fact that she was able to test herself against a close friend like Jaune helped to keep her spirits high and her movements loosey-goosey.

"Well you can thank Pyrrha for helping me in that regard, she really loves to drill home the fundamentals!" The fair-haired knight would reply with a cheeky grin of his own as he widened his stance and looked for the closest opening in her stance as the two of them circled one another like predator and prey. "Get ready Ruby because this next attack's gonna rock you like a hurricane!" This would elicit a loud "Boo!" from his teammate Nora Valkyrie, who was more then likely eagerly awaiting her turn up on the dais. "Aww c'mon Nora, gimmie a break!" He would shake his head quickly and focus back onto the battle in time to raise his shield and avoid an overhead slash from Crescent Rose as he winced at the sound of metal scraping against metal.

 _"Welp, guess it's time to get creative."_ Ruby would think to herself as she slammed the pole of Crescent Rose against Jaune's shield and pulled the trigger of the rifle, the recoil sending the knight sliding back towards the edge of the dais as the reaper vaulted from pillar to pillar with the ease of a luchador running the ropes in preparation for a death defying stunt. _"Time to go for broke!"_ The silver-eyed Huntress would crack a cheeky grin as she spotted an opening in her friend's defenses, quickly pulling the trigger and rocketing down towards the fair-haired Huntsman and beginning to spin like a drill as she prepared to finish the fight with a rather rough attack to his side.

However she didn't expect to see a grin play across his face as he raised his shield with a twitch of his wrist as Crescent Rose made contact with Corcea Mors' shield and send a bone rattling sensation through both fighters as Jaune leveled his blade at a stunned Ruby Rose, who was now teetering on the very edge of Crescent Rose before nearly tumbling to the ground in an exhausted heap as Jaune gently caught her in his arms.

"Well that's that, the winner of the match is Jaune Arc." Goodwitch would calmly announce this to the crowd as the two teenagers carefully stood up and shook hands with one another.

"Man that was a close one, if I hadn't raised my shield in time you might have ended up cracking a rib or two…or five." Jaune would laugh nervously as Ruby dusted off her combat skirt with a confident smile, out of their last few fights this would be the first where the knight had found victory. The first match had been a blowout as Jaune had been left unprepared for the full extent of the reaper's speed and left totally out of his element, their second clash had officially been written down as a draw, (although in reality the dais had been unable to hold up due to the force of their battle.) so to finally be able to get a well-deserved win against his friend and leader of Team RWBY gave him a feeling of joy that ran from his feet to his skull. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to become a human pinball on me back there, it was a great strategy Ruby."

Ruby would smile slightly as she tried to regain feeling in her hands as she tried to recover from the backlash of metal clashing against metal as the vibrations still ran through her smaller frame, kneeling down to recover her fallen Crescent Rose before finally exiting the dais alongside him.

"Alright, our final match of the day sees…Sun WuKong of Haven Academy-" The older Huntress would pause as the females in the crowd erupted into very vocal cheers as the monkey-tailed Faunus made his way onto the dais with a cocky grin out to the crowd, even though he truly only had eyes for a certain raven-haired feline who was sitting somewhere in the stands. "And his opponent will be…oh dear God no, anyone but him." Glynda would gesture to the digital screen overhead as the visage of a silver-haired Faunus with amber eyes appeared next to Sun's portrait, and upon seeing it the audience would erupt into a loud sea of boos even as the lights in the amphitheater went dark.

 _"GAHAHAHAHA!"_

A strange mix of techno and rock music would fill the room as the doors of the dais blew open to reveal a shadowy, masked figure slowly making his way down the aisle way while slowly spinning a monochrome-colored umbrella and occasionally letting out a high pitched cackle.

"Oh come on, does every fight with this guy have to involve some sort of sideshow stunt?!" Sun would cross his arms and tap his foot in irritation as his "opponent" made his way onto the dais while carefully folding up his umbrella and setting it aside. "Well, what kind of carnival stunt have you decided to grace us with now wolf-boy? Gothic Clown, psychotic Fred Astaire? Or is this just how you always dress whenever you decide to make a mockery of the school?!" The monkey-tailed young man was usually a fan of outlandish and crazy gimmicks like these whenever he was just a spectator in the audience, but now that he was face to face with a painted up masked phony he could sees past the veneer of campiness and through to the person behind it all.

"How do you know that this is not my true face? You've never bothered to get to know me, to understand me! None of you ever seemed to want to see past the superficial ugliness that you see in yourselves!" The masked Huntsman would cackle as he stepped up to face an infuriated Sun, his teeth gritted tightly as the two young men went nose to nose. "Tell me Sun: Do you love? Do you hate? Will you die forever late?"

Sun would snarl as he shoved the masked man away and reached for his nunchaku in anticipation of the opening buzzer as his freakish opponent merely summoned his umbrella to him with a flick of his wrist.

"Sun WuKong versus Bálor Moonlight, are you two ready?" Goodwitch would glare disapprovingly at the wolf Faunus's latest getup but knew better than to question the young man publicly, in a crowd full of people as the lights finally came back on the amphitheater. "I'll take your shared silence as a yes." The veteran Huntress would leap back to give the two Huntsman room to fight as the opening buzzer sounded for their fight to begin.

"Seriously man, what are you even thinking with this stupid stunt-" Sun would stop speaking as the masked Huntsman took a quick slash at the blonde Faunus without a second thought, thinking fast Sun would immediately begin leaping away to gain distance as his opponent sauntered forward while sheathing a sword that had been hidden in the umbrella. "Well, that explains one one-hundredth of the crazy I'm up against!" The monkey tailed young man would rush in to fight the freaky Faunus as Ruby and Jaune watched on with stunned expressions on their faces.

"Ruby, you wanna walk me through your friend's…bizarre-ness?" The knight would do his best to maintain a whisper, even as the students in the amphitheatre continued to voice their displeasure at the wolf Faunus's antics. "I mean I can understand the crazy doodles he draws during class, I can understand the need for a stress ball, I can even understand why he spends his lunchtime reading comic books. Who doesn't love Batman!? HE'S AWESOME!" The boos would get louder as the pair looked over to see a masked Balor doing a strange jig as Sun was clearly seething with rage, finally holstering his weapons and throwing up his hands in frustration.

"Fuck it! No, I'm out. Call me when you finally find me a serious opponent!" The monkey-tailed young man would give the still-dancing wolf Faunus a hearty "One gun salute" with his middle fingers before exiting the dais.

Goodwitch would shake her head in disgust before glumly announcing the wolf's victory by forfeit, further inciting the crowd to the point where garbage, wadded up test papers, and other paraphernalia was being thrown onto the dais and causing the startled Faunus to scurry off through the aisle way with weapon in hand as quickly as he could.

Ruby would sigh and stand up from her seat as she looked back at Jaune with a frown, seeing the look of concern in her friend's blue eyes as he knew what she was about to do.

"It'll be okay, I'll go check on him." She would disappear in a flurry of rose petals to find the door to their shared dorm room wide open, that was a clear sign that her friend was particularly upset at this outcome. "Oh no…" The crimsonette would carefully make her way to the doorway and peek inside, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the silver-maned wolf without the spooky mask over his face as she quietly made her way inside the room.

"You okay…?"

He would look over at her quietly, his amber eyes dulled and sullen as if he were beginning to come down from an adrenaline high. "I-I didn't wanna show my face today, I begged Ozpin to pull me from the sparring matches today! I just…" Bálor would let the mask drop to the floor as his hands trembled visibly, stopping only once Ruby held her hands in his and giving them a gentle squeeze as silver eyes met amber ones. "I just can't bring myself to fight other people..not after what they made me do."

The cookie-loving reaper would sigh quietly and let him rest his head upon her shoulder, knowing the horrors of which the frightened young man spoke of.

"I know, I know that you're afraid of fighting something besides the Grimm..but believe me when I say that there's going to come a day where you can't run away from doing so, not without sacrificing something or someone very dear to you in the process." It was rare for the young Huntress to talk so frankly with him, even though she had once given Jaune a pep talk about what it truly meant to be a leader during the first few weeks as students.

"Are you prepared to make such a drastic decision because you're afraid of fighting people? Even if it meant losing me?"

This would shock Bálor visibly as he digested the meaning behind her words with much trepidation.

"N-no…I can't imagine losing you Ruby, that would be like going back to the Dark Place..and I never want to go back there ever again!" The wolf Faunus would tremble as ghastly images of his crimsonette-haired friend being hurt by the members of the White Fang, and even captured and experimented by the same corrupt military suits that had taken him as a child. "If it means keeping you safe..then I'll take on anyone I have to!" Tears would fall from his eyes as he felt the quiet flame of determination being lit in his heart once again, sighing in embarrassment as the younger woman reached up to brush them aside.

"I knew you would say that, you always do." Ruby would look down at the mask resting on the floor of their dorm, releasing one of his hands to retrieve the strange piece of cloth and holding it up to the silent Bálor. "I also want you to promise me that you won't hide behind things like this anymore. It's okay to believe in heroes, goodness knows that they're the reason I decided to become a Huntress in the first place." She would let go of his other hand and stand up slowly while looking down at the ghoulish mask she was now holding.

"But..I refuse to let those heroes define who I am, I want to be a hero who walks their own path and inspires others to one day do the same." Ruby would calmly make her way over to the trash can by Bálor's desk, and calmly set the mask down among the refuse before turning back to the stoic wolf Faunus. "I believe that you can do that same thing Bálor, but only when you start truly believing in your own strength."

"That was one of the tougher pep talks that I've ever had to give Jaune, and believe me when I say that I spent a good few hours wondering if I made the right decision in forcing Bálor to change his ways." Ruby would watch on calmly as Jaune put the finishing touches on the once maimed Karl Anderson plushie, admiring the smooth precision of his hands as he finished threading his sewing needle and completing his impromptu surgery.

"But Ruby, you did make the right decision..if it weren't for you he'd still be a recluse spending his free time pent up inside this dorm room with nothing but comic books, plushies, and a sketch pad." Jaune would set down his completed stitch work alongside the other before turning to face Ruby with an exhausted but grateful look upon his face. "Hell, if it weren't for your advice I probably would've never taken my first steps towards becoming a true leader. I seriously owe you a thank you for helping me to become the man I am today."

The cookie-loving young woman would shake her head with a small smile as she set the plushies back in their proper places upon her roommate's desk. "Nope. You don't need to thank me Jaune, because you already had what it takes to be a great leader deep down here." She would place her hand over her heart with a slight blush. "You just needed to be able to take that first step forward and grasp it yourself.."

The fair-haired knight would look into her silver-eyes and feel a confident smile spread across his face, knowing that she was correct in what she had said to him.

And that as long as he kept moving forward, the road to becoming a true leader and a Huntsman that his father and grandfather could be proud of would eventually rise to meet him.

 _ **Alright, before you fine folks decide to kill me for focusing things on Bálor towards the end. There's a reason for my doing this: As much as I wanted to keep the focus of this chapter on Sora and the mission, I just couldn't bring myself to fill in large gaps of plot with tactical jargon. So instead i turned the focus upon our heroine and the influence she had on others, particularly Jaune and Bálor. For those who follow my other stories (which i know is a select few) you know that there's a bit of a dynamic between Ruby and Bálor woven through them (it even has a ship name: RoseWolf. Not my idea but the name's catchy) however in those stories she's encouraged, and even joined in his wrestling-related antics.**_

 _ **This...pissed people off.**_

 _ **So instead, I decided to have one of his antics backfire and give Ruby an opportunity to set him straight in sort of the same fashion she did with Jaune.**_

 _ **You'll also notice a few Lancaster moments here and there. Because Volume 3 really gave that ship some steam**_

 _ **As for the rest of today (Friday) I'll be spending it catching up on sleep and watching Ring of Honor's Best in the World 2016, Lethal vs. Briscoe 2!**_

 _ **I'll be back on either Saturday or Sunday**_

 _ **Until then, follow, favorite, review, or go vote in the poll if you haven't already.**_


	9. Miedo

_**I'm sure most of you following this story have seen the cantankerous reviews left by a certain someone, those will be addressed following this chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs solely to Rooster Teeth, started by a man with infinitely more talent than I'll ever have even on my best day. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix, whose wondrous games keep ensuring that I continue owning a console even though society claims I'm too old for this shit.**_

 __Blake would find herself sitting in the forest of Forever Fall, the wind gently blowing around the crimson leaves as a faint hum of anticipation ran through her body.

 _"Blake, it's time"_ Adam's voice would call out to her, the hum now becoming a desperate plea to run from him even as her body rose to meet him and the two of them strode forth to the edge of the forest side by side.

There was a definite sense of familiarity towards these events playing out before her, but it wasn't until she saw the train racing on the tracks below them did the Faunus woman known as Blake Belladonna finally connect the dots and realize fully what was going on.

 _"Oh no, not this day..not again!"_ She would panic as she felt her body move alongside his, two partners who had worked together for so long that they could match one another's movements without even having to think on it. _"Why am I reliving this day, why now?!"_ Blake would think back upon the ride in the bullhead, remembering Sora's wonder at being able to see such a splendid view of Vale while Emerald had chided him on his childlike demeanor before Coco had verbally stepped in to defend the young man.

 _"Sora, what kind of a guy is he? It's as if the things we take for granted are completely new to him, almost as if he were from another world entirely."_ The feline would frown even as her past self landed inside the moving train car with Adam as the two were quickly surrounded by Atleasian Knights who were quickly arming themselves and demanding they identify themselves.

 _"Looks like we're doing this the hard way."_ Adam would muse to himself as he surveyed the scene before him, even he heard the feline chuckle at his comment.

 _"Don't be so dramatic."_ Blake would frown as she heard herself speak to her former partner and leader, it was one of the things she used to like about him: the fact that he was so confident and sure in every action he took. Even though those same actions were now leading himself and the White Fang down a path towards a much darker place, it was on this day that she finally decided to sever her ties with the organization and instead devote herself to the path of Huntress while finding a way to change humanity's view towards the Faunus without having to resort to violence.

 _"Move up to the next car, I'll set the charges."_ The masked bull Faunus would immediately get to work on priming the charges to blow up the SDC train and strike a blow at the humans that insisted upon oppressing them, the old ways of peaceful protests and sit ins weren't getting them anywhere thus the humans treated their movement as a joke. It was then that their former leader met a very unfortunate end and that Adam rose to prominence thanks in part to his more forceful and direct tactics.

 _"What about the crew members?"_ Even back then she still had reservations and misgivings towards these new guerrilla tactics that the Fang had begun employing, however he was still her partner and she was determined to stay by his side and hopefully deter him from path that he was now treading.

 _"What about them?"_ She could hear the malice in his voice as he had spoken those words to her, having already been well versed in his disdain towards humanity and their views on Faunus-kind but this was the first time that he had shown it so blatantly than at that moment.

 _"Adam..this was the moment where I finally had enough of the path you intended to take us on, I couldn't sit idly by and play the angel on your shoulder anymore."_ She would see herself and Adam desperately beginning a defensive battle with a spider-like Atlesian machine that would quickly get the better of them. _"I thought if I could do something to temper your hate, then maybe things wouldn't have turned out as badly as they did."_ The raven-haired feline would watch on sadly as her past self separated the train cars and watching Adam ride away with the still-moving locomotive as she muttered her goodbyes to the past, both literally and figuratively as she turned away to take a breath and reflect upon what she had done.

 _"You think you can just run away from me and live happily ever after!?"_ The scenery would change and shift to resemble an embattled Beacon Academy, buildings were ablaze as Grimm and rampant Atlas mechs ran amok throughout the school and attack soldier and student alike as a tower of flames erupted before her as Adam Taurus stepped out of the fire with a scowl upon his face. _"Life doesn't work that way darling, you don't get to throw our history together aside and get a re-do! Karma needs to meted out!"_ Blake would be horrified as this phantom from her past stepped forward, even as she went to reach for her Gambol Shroud only to find the weapon and its sheath missing entirely.

 _"The universe will find balance: whether it's through a subtle change that's invisible to the naked eye."_ The feline would gasp audibly as she felt the sting of his blade biting into her side, causing her to stumble to her knees and cough up blood as she looked up at the masked young man in shock at his actions. _"Or violent retribution that sends shock-waves through the world!"_ Blake would immediately go to remove his sword from her body, cursing that she had been unable to act fast enough to leave behind a double in her stead.

 _"Blaaake! Blake!"_ A voice would call out to her even as she completely crumpled to the floor in agony even as she tried to stem the bleeding in her wound, she recognized who it was instantly and tried calling out for them to run away even as her voice failed her completely as a certain blonde brawler entered her peripheral vision.

 _"I'm going to destroy everything you love."_ He would look over to see Yang entering the room with a stunned look upon her beautiful face, no doubt horrified at the sight she had walked into even as Adam leveled his sword against the bleeding Faunus's body. _"Starting with her."_ He would dangle his sword over the fallen feline while leering over at Yang with a malefic grin, even as the busty Huntress primed her weapons for battle.

 _"Get away from her!"_ Yang's voice would devolve into a primal growl as she faced down the masked swordsman in question, in her view this man was threatening one of the few precious individuals in her fragile world and she wasn't about to stand idly by and allow him to continue doing so. However her threat would fall upon deaf ears as Blake was stabbed once again, causing her to cry out in pain as she felt the burning bite of steel entering her body once more.

 _"NNNOOOOO!"_ With her eyes flashing right red and a burst of flames erupting from all around her, the enraged Xiao Long would burst forth in an attempt to get revenge for her partner's injuries while Blake looked on in horror at what unfolded in front of her widened yellow eyes. It had happened in a flash of red, not only because of his violently projected aura when Adam raised his sword and severed the blonde's arm from her body but also from the spray of blood that would hit the fallen feline's face and body even as Yang hit the floor in a grotesque heap.

 _"Blake…I'm sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't save-"_ The wounded brawler would be cut off as a vengeful Adam drove his blade through Yang's skull with utter finality, silencing her dear partner once and for all before kneeling down to caress the now broken Blake's cheek tiredly and sighing as she tried to slink away from him entirely. _"You belong to me Blake: Then, now, and forever."_ The mad bull Faunus would lean forward to kiss his partner, only for her to cry out in terror as the dream shattered around her like the walls of a glass house as she bolted awake to find herself securely strapped into the seat of their bullhead once again. Her temporary teammates looking at her with varying degrees of concern upon their faces, with the clear exception of Emerald who was intently focused with a mobile game on her scroll.

"Blake, is everything alright? You looked like you were having a terrible nightmare." Sora would frown in concern as even Zwei leaped from his seat in the Keybearer's lap in order to land onto the feline's lap and give her a few comforting licks to the cheek before settling down and looking up at Blake with a worried whine of his own. "Blake?" The azure-eyed young man would frown as he silently watched the raven-haired feline stare blankly down at the corgi sitting in her lap, he had had his fair share of terrible nightmares throughout his travels and had even managed to fight a horde of creatures that fed on and caused the nightmares of others during the Mark of Mastery exam.

"I'm alright Sora, just a few bad dreams..nothing to worry about." Blake would try to summon up a calm smile for the team's benefit, and even managed to give Zwei a few gentle strokes behind the ear for good measure before looking out the window and seeing that they were closer to the area in question than even she had planned for. "Pilot, take us down near that beach..we'll make the rest of the way there on foot while you head back and refuel." She would sigh and lean back in her seat even as her teammates all began to protest her plan of action even as the ship began to lower itself immediately.

"There's no way in hell that I am trekking my way across the mountains because your loser friend managed to get his dumb ass captured during a mission!" Emerald would look at the raven-haired feline with an expression on her face that mirrored the clear disdain in her voice. Even as Coco looked down at her own boots with some trepidation as she wondered just how badly the terrain would treat the designer boots covering her feet, although unlike the verdant-haired thief Coco had a modicum of respect for her fellow students.

Even one as annoying as the silver-haired wolf in question. "We really planning to hike all the way through these mountains towards a base we have only a vague location of? Seems pretty risky to me rookie." The fashionista would observe Blake's behavior closely, wondering if the rest of the group's hesitation would force the feline to reconsider her plan of action and open the floor up to suggestions instead. It was a sound move if she was aspiring to be some kind of a politician, but in the field leader's had to rule with a firm grip or risk the mission going straight into the shitter.

"Your objections are noted, now shut up and get ready to move because we're landing in five!" Blake would look out the window as the mountainous terrain slowly rose to meet the group in question, she was determined not to let her past mess with her head anymore than it already had. This was a chance to finally put her personal demons to rest while ensuring the safety of Ruby's friend, even though the feline's own views toward the wolf were tumultuous to say the least. "I'm going to close the book on my nightmarish past and live my life properly, as a Huntress who'll not only save the world from the Grimm but also serve as the bridge for peace between humans and Faunus!"

Adam Taurus would sigh as the anguished sounds of pain filled his ears for the umpteenth time that day, the mole they had captured the night before was being especially stubborn, even for a fellow Faunus. _"This is beginning to grow tiresome, we've done everything except resort to dismemberment and I'm willing to bet that not even that would make him talk!"_ The masked bull Faunus would hold up a hand to the guard outside before the other man would knock on the door thrice to relay the message, the screams of pain slowly dying down to a silent groan of agony as he made his way over to the door and calmly pulled it open before glaring at the White Fang member who was holding a bloody cat-o-nine-tails.

"Out. Now!"

The masked Faunus would gulp audibly before scurrying out of the room and leaving his master alone with the bloody and battered prisoner in question.

"Your capacity to endure pain is quite inspiring brother, not many of the other members can endure eight hours of physical torture the way you have. I doubt that my former partner could stomach a portion of the violence we've inflicted upon you and I trained her myself, those were truly wonderful times for the two of us." Adam would look upon the wounded wolf with some measure of respect, even though they had stripped him nude, beat him thoroughly, and had even deprived him of food, water, and sleep he had managed to hold himself together. "But that was before she decided to leave the White Fang behind in its hour of need, when the violence was really ready to be ramped up to new heights! A little bloodshed for the freedom we so richly deserve! Tell me my friend, is that not a necessary price to pay?!" He could feel his aura surging through his body as he turned to face his prisoner, not expecting to see the ghost of a smile upon the young man's face.

"I…don't know what…constitutes the price of freedom, but..your partner sounds like..a good egg. Would love..to meet her." Bálor would force out a laugh even though his ribs were killing him at the moment, his amber eyes were dulled and drooping as he struggled to stay conscious.

Taurus would disregard the young man's flippant remarks before delivering a sound kick square to the nether regions, even as the prisoner refused to give the guerilla leader the satisfaction of crying out in agony. "Impressive, you refuse to scream even though it clearly causes you agony. Perhaps you would do better serving by my side rather than giving those filthy humans access to your abilities." The militant Faunus would walk up to his battered prisoner and gently lift his chin in order to get his full attention. "What do you say brother, will you abandon your foolish indentured servitude to the people of Vale and stand beside me and the rest of the White Fang? Will you fight alongside your brothers and sisters as we make a play for freedom!?" The red-headed bull would lean in closer to hear his future compatriots answer, only to feel a warm gob of spit hit his cheek before slowly dripping down his cheek.

"Go…fuck..yourself, you disgusting..hypocrite!" The defiant wolf Faunus would groan in agony as he struggled to take a breath and collect his thoughts, expecting the usual furious retort from his tormentor as waited patiently for the beating to begin.

"I see, I'm sorry that you don't see the same beauty in our struggle as I do." Adam would step back and remove his katana from it's sheath and point it at the belligerent Faunus in question and leveling it at the man's right eye, knowing that the sort of physical torture would do little to shake his resilience but would rather serve as a precursor of things to come. "It's a shame that a proud wolf like you refuses to embrace the thrill of the hunt, choosing instead to serve as Vale's precious hunting dog and stripping yourself of your dignity." With those last words he would deliver a vicious strike to his prisoner, deciding against removing the eye altogether and instead leaving him with a much more brutal reminder of his folly as he left the interrogation room behind and motioned to the guard standing by the door. "Tend to his wounds, I'd rather not see him die to an infection before I get a chance to properly break his spirit." The guard would nod quietly before rushing off to retrieve a medical kit even as a younger member rushed up to his side, holding the pack that had been confiscated from their prisoner and holding up a black leather notebook.

"Sir, I think you're going to want to see this." The masked deer Faunus would open the notebook to a certain page before handing it off to her master without another word, watching on in awed silence as he read over the pages and a sadistic smile began to form upon his face.

Sora would step off the bullhead with Zwei in his arms as the team had finally reached a proper landing point for their mission, the rest of the team quickly double-checking their weapons and ammo clips as he set Zwei down onto the ground while the bullhead began lifting off and heading out to find a place to refuel and resupply for their eventual pickup.

"Alright Blake; I guess this is where you tell us where we're heading, because judging by the terrain around here we're not exactly covered by enemy fire." The Keybearer would frown as he remembered the guns that the White Fang soldiers he had encountered during the Dust Store robbery from days earlier, back then there were fewer of them and he had the element of surprise on his side. But now he was with a group of individuals that he didn't know how to mesh with and they were going up against a more numerous White Fang force, on their home turf. It was as if this mission was tailor-made to keep them behind the eight ball and test their abilities.

Blake would close her eyes and allow her senses to take over and read the area surrounding them, she caught the scents of other Faunus in the area as well as expended Dust, but only a faint whiff of the wolf that they were looking for which served as a very bad omen for the feline leader. _"I swear to God if that damn idiot went and got himself killed, I will personally dig him out of whatever grave he's lying in, resurrect him, and then kill the son of a bitch myself!"_ The raven-haired Huntress would gesture for the team to begin their march up the mountain, much to a certain thief's annoyance as Sora and Zwei quickly jogged up to her side.

"I'm guessing you know exactly where you're going because you have us land miles away from the perimeter Ozpin laid out, you're insisting that we walk there on foot and now you're being as quiet as a mouse..which is weirdly ironic considering you're part cat."

The spiky-haired teen would look around the area shrewdly, not knowing what to expect in terms of natural enemies: whether or not they would be faunus, heartless, or even the creatures of Grimm. "Not to mention that nightmare you were having earlier, the way you were sweating and crying out in agony made me really worry about you Blake. I'm not really sure was going on in your mind but I could tell that it was something that made you truly feel afraid." Sora would reach out and touch the young woman's shoulder with an empathetic look in his deep blue eyes, wanting nothing more than to give the troubled Faunus's heart some peace in the same way that Pyrrha had done for him prior to his departure from Beacon. "I just want you to know that no matter what nightmares we end up facing down the road, you're not alone out here. We may not all get along with one another right now, but when the time comes I know we'll band together and pull through this like a real team should." He would gesture to the small group of Huntresses and a corgi following behind them as he spoke, the entire plane ride had been spent with Coco and Emerald getting into meaningless petty arguments before going silent for a small window of time.

Blake would smile sadly as she remembered the nightmare in question: watching her current partner being horribly maimed before having a katana rammed through her skull, seeing the vibrant light of happiness and ferocity that adorned her lilac eyes being snuffed out completely in the process had left her heart feeling like a dead lump of stone inside of her chest.

"Sora, I appreciate what you're trying to do and I know that you mean well..but there are just some things that no amount of kindhearted words can mend entirely, my heart has scars etched upon it so old that no amount of warmth could ever truly take away the pain." Blake would ball her fists tightly as she remembered the dream Adam's cruel words about owning her forever, even as Yang's lifeless gaze burned itself into her psyche and served to steel her resolve towards the coming crisis. "There are just some places where the darkness runs so deep that not even the brightest light could hope to reach, it just so happens that I happen to have a lot more of those than most people in my situation do." The feline tried to ignore the sting of tears that had begun to form in the midst of her words to him, right now Blake wanted nothing more than to focus on the task at hand: Retrieve their captured (and hopefully still living) ally while simultaneously looking for an opportunity to vanquish the ghosts of her troubled past and move forward towards a brighter tomorrow. And as she looked towards the azure-eyed Keybearer that was now walking alongside a less than enthusiastic Emerald as he attempted to strike up a conversation with the grumpy Huntress, it was clear by his happy and easy-going demeanor that he knew nothing of the sort of pain that she and her friends endured on a daily basis.

 _"Sometimes I wish that I had even a sliver of your free spirit Sora, I swear it's like you and Yang are a hilarious buddy comedy waiting to happen. If we were all ever to be in the same room with one another I would probably end up playing the cliché straight man who tries way too hard to keep you two grounded in reality."_ The feline would find herself giggling at the hypothetical sitcom situation as it played out in her mind, and for a brief moment her spirits would be lifted. But that elation would soon go flat as she heard the prominent hiss of a King Taijutu nearby, seeing as her Faunus heritage granted her a few extra perks in terms of the five senses it wouldn't be too long before she heard a second hiss.

And then another one following that one.

"We've got company…" She would mutter this while removing Gambol Shroud from its holster, finding that the others were arming themselves as quickly as possible.

"How many are you counting there Blake, it'd be nice to know just how many bullets I can afford lining the corpses with!" Coco would ready her minigun with a confident smirk, Emerald bringing up the rear as she pointed her own weapons around their makeshift battle perimeter.

"Five..maybe six, I can definitely see why the White Fang chose this area to fortify their base in, the Grimm here act like the perfect natural defense for outside invasions." The raven-haired Huntress would wonder just how their resident madman had managed to make it past such heightened defenses, and by himself no less. "Get ready Sora, because you're going to have a whale of time holding off the Grimm and protecting Ruby's dog at the same time."

The Keybearer would summon his weapon quickly, not knowing the type of enemy to look for, even as he looked back to find Zwei with his head low to the ground in an attempt to cover his ears. "Guess this is my crash course in combat against real Grimm, oh well: Out of the frying pan and into the fire I suppose!" He felt his body tense as the giant snakes rose from behind the mountainous rocks to meet their prey head on.

 ** _First, I'd honestly like to apologize for the delay in the uploading of this chapter, and while I could blame the lousy weather I've been having lately, various life crisis's that I've had to deal with, or even my slow ass computer. The fault lies squarely with me, I've spent these last few days in a funk brought about by writer's block, and the incessant heckling of a guest reviewer who seems to have made it their personal mission to drive me outta fanfiction altogether._**

 ** _I'm not going to sit here and whine about how my fics aren't universally lauded and appreciated, I could give less than a rat's ass if this fic were to end up on some "Best of" community listing, that's not why I started doing this. RWBY inspired me to write again after what was basically a decade long exile from doing so, and that's because Monty Oum and the world of Remnant he blessed us all with inspired me to believe in myself where I was at my lowest point._**

 ** _And while not all of my offerings have been winners (the defunct "Peaches" series, Red Red Kroovy, etc.) I've always done my best to try and give something that at least made my readers chuckle, or even crack a smile...even if it's for all the wrong reasons._**

 ** _I get that for most people, an OCxCanon Character pairing is an abhorrent sacrilege that should be only be given a bare modicum of respect only when done "Properly" (A subjective term depending on who you ask.) but in no situation is it right to bash a person's attempt at trying to make something they feel others might enjoy, nor is it right to bully someone outright because what they're doing offends your view of the characters (shipping or otherwise) and it's just plain disgusting when you publicly celebrate another author's leaving due to the grief they were forced to put up with._**

 ** _So to the individual who so lovingly refers to my character as a "cuck" and myself as "wristslitter", I'm not going to dare you to keep it up. Or even block your hateful reviews, but I do hope that one day you find the resolve to channel that fury of yours into a meaningful story that we all can enjoy someday._**

 _ **One last bit of business, it doesn't seem fair to end the poll on Friday given my foolish delay. So it's being extended til 9 am on July 4th as a apology for me dragging my feet, so feel free to get your votes in if you haven't already.**_

 _ **Ta-ta for now!**_


	10. Connected by Faith

_**More delays, even worse heckling, and lousy lousy abuse reporting are only some of the bullshit I've had to deal with**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix, Bálor to me.**_

Sora had fought a lot of strange creatures in his journey: Giant behemoth Heartless, a sorceress that became a dragon, demented villains that had various other forms, whatever the heck Pete was..So the rampaging snake Grimm heading toward him weren't exactly something to be too startled at, but the fact that they started making a beeline for Zwei was something that kept the Keybearer on his toes.

"Zwei!" Sora would take off like a speeding bullet to scoop up the Corgi before he could be eaten up like a bite-sized snack, leaping away just in time to avoid the hail of bullets from Coco's minigun which derailed the King Taijutu's momentum as the others began springing into action and fighting one of their own. "Thank goodness I managed to keep you safe, Ruby would've killed me if you had gotten hurt." The corgi would look up at his spiky-haired guardian before barking loudly as another snake burst out of the ground and prepared to devour the duo, only for the Keybearer to leap back and use Reflect to keep from being turned into dinner. "It's been a while since I had to use that spell, or any spell in general. Geez, all that training in the Sleeping Worlds has really changed my fighting style." He would sigh before letting Zwei down onto the ground before summoning his Keyblade and charging into the fray of battle, unaware that the Corgi was bravely following in behind him.

Emerald hated that she was forced to be playing the good guy, oh how she loathed it! Almost as much as she hated partnering with that smug asshole Mercury, but an order from her mistress was absolute and she wouldn't dare defy her. But that didn't mean she wouldn't vent her frustration upon the enemies before moving forward and making sure that their plan moved along without any further issue.

"Goddamned idiots! I can't believe we have to waste our time rescuing some hapless moron!" She would be ranting to herself as she cut through a King Taijutu's belly before decapitating the beast before sparing a glance around the battlefield: Blake had been quick to dispatch the Taijutu in her path before leaping in to help Coco, who had been slowly whittling away at the snake-like Grimm with her minigun. Sora and Zwei on the other hand were having a touch more trouble with their opponents as the azure-eyed young man seemed to be having more difficulty, the Key-using young man was doing his best to hold off the Grimm while trying to protect his furry companion. "Oh for crying out loud!" The verdant-haired thief would snarl as she switched her weapons from their sickle form to pistols as she aimed for one of the creatures eyes, grinning as the Grimm bellowed out in anger and pain as Sora noticed the opening and dispatched the beast before channeling his inner-light and transforming his Keyblade into a Naginata-type weapon and stabbing the snake in its belly.

"Thanks for the help, it was getting a little ugly back there." He would give her a big exuberant smile before the Naginata disappeared from its spot in a flash of light before reappearing in his hands as the good old Kingdom Key. "It's Emerald right? You're a good fighter, I don't understand why you don't do more in the sparring sessions."

This would pique the young woman's interest as she raised an eyebrow, it was rare for her to receive some kind of compliment without Mercury throwing in a quick jab at how she "wanted" him, or being followed up by an icy threat courtesy of Cinder who would then follow that up with more loving words. "I just try not to show off too much, it's just about getting in and getting the job done like a real professional would." She would give him a very muted smile before holstering her weapons and moving forward and following the rest of the group who were already resuming their hike, Zwei would trot back over to Sora and sniff the ground around them curiously. It had been a while since the little dog had been outside of Beacon's walls, not since Team RWBY's excursion to Mountain Glenn some time ago where they had been assigned to find any signs of the White Fang who were rumored to be operating out of the area.

"Oh! That's right, I should give you something to help you follow his scent!" The Keybearer would pull out a scrap of clothing that Ruby had decided to give him before leaving and kneel down, letting the Corgi absorb the scent of Ruby's missing companion before Zwei would bark suddenly and begin following a trail that only he could follow.

C'mon everyone, I think we've finally got a lead!" The spiky-haired young man would begin chasing after the small dog, the others keeping a steady pace behind him as Emerald took up the rear of their little group.

 _"It's just one Faunus, why is Ozpin so gung-ho on having this guy brought back in one piece anyway? Is Cinder going to use him as some kind of leverage?"_ Emerald would keep walking while mulling over how strange this mission was beginning to get, with Sora and Coco being the only ones who were keeping their heads on straight. Their raven-haired leader had been coldly silent following her little freakout aboard the Bullhead, focused on the path ahead of her and seemingly nothing else judging by how quickly she had dispatched the King Taijutu targeting her. As for the dog, Emerald wasn't exactly sure if dogs could really think much outside of "Food." and "Entertain me dammit!", but it didn't matter to the dark-skinned thief as she kept her ears open for any sign of the Grimm.

 _"Just get the job done, get in and get out…just like a pro."_

Back at Beacon Academy's amphitheater, Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc would be sparring on the dais, the two of them had managed to sneak into the place after hours as Goodwitch and Ozpin had been busy dealing with matters known only to themselves, and the other teams had kept themselves preoccupied with other projects. (Ruby finishing the final touches on the Plushie Club, Yang further modifying her bike to further withstand the intensity of future inventions, and Ren trying to create the world's biggest pancake without Nora trying to devour it.) so the duo thought of heading down and trying to relieve some stress and hash things out the old fashioned way.

"You've really improved on the basics Jaune, your stance and form have definitely gotten more solid." The spear maiden would smile proudly as her partner would parry her overhead strike with his shield, so far she had been playing soft and giving him the easiest of strikes in order to give themselves time to converse without having to worry about accidentally injuring one another. "You've definitely been training more often, perhaps with a certain cookie loving girl that we both know?" Pyrrha's emerald eyes would twinkle mischievously as she saw a dusting of red paint his boyish cheeks as he went in for a backhanded strike, only to have it deflected by her own shield. "I'll take that as a yes Mister Arc." She would feel a slight twinge of jealousy at his reaction towards mentioning Ruby, it was no small secret to the majority of the student body that she had held a small romantic candle for the fair-haired knight for much of their time at the academy, even Sora who was blatantly new and sometimes proven to be not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to most things Remnant had deduced that there was something special between JNPR's ace and the man who was called Jaune.

"Yeah..I guess I have been spending a little more time with Ruby lately, but can you blame me? With her usual goombah gone, I'm the go-to guy for anything extracurricular." He would sigh as he pictured his red-hooded friend no doubt hard at work putting her friend's prize plushies onto a special shelf she had designed herself. _"It's not my fault that I know how to sew, growing up with seven sisters tends to do that to you."_ Jaune would feel himself getting frustrated with the fact that his cheeks were warming at the thought of spending more time with the crimsonette, wondering just what the heck was going on with his head. Ruby and himself were just friends, ever since their first day at Beacon they had held a kind of camaraderie that was usually seen in childhood pals, the two of them had both been named leader of their respective teams, and at times were often seen in each other's company at social gatherings. But the feelings between them were usually non- romantic and generally friendly towards one another.

At least until lately it seemed.

"Hello, Remnant to Jaune. Are you still here with me oh fearless leader?" Pyrrha recognized the somewhat harsh tone her voice had taken on, she had held some contempt for him back in their earlier days as a team. He had recently taken to hanging out with Cardin Winchester and his team seemingly out of the blue, despite the fact that the four individuals in question were well known bullies to other smaller freshman, as well as some of the Faunus students. It wasn't until a few days later following an incident involving an Ursa in Forever Fall that Jaune would come clean about the true circumstances behind their partnership came to light, the fair-haired knight had made it into Beacon Academy off the back of falsified transcripts (a detail which she was already well aware.) and Cardin had managed to overhear this and turn it to his advantage for a time. "You seem very distracted since I started bringing up Ruby, is there something you want to talk about?" The taller redhead would frown as she noticed her teammate's crestfallen expression before sheathing her weapon and sitting down at the edge of the dais, quietly patting the spot next to her. "It's no good practicing if your heart's not in it, besides I know that this is troubling you on some level."

Jaune would sigh quietly before sheathing Corcea Mors and settling down beside her, his own blue eyes staring down at his sneakers as he was lost in thought.

"I just feel like things are changing between me and Ruby lately, it's just that the more time we spend together and I get to know more about her that it's all starting to feel more intense." He would look to his partner for some kind of advice, only to receive a furrowed brow of confusion in reply as he struggled to find the words to properly explain the situation to her. "It's nothing physical so you don't have to worry about anything scandalous. But whenever we're together, I just..it feels like my heart is at peace. Like I can tell Ruby anything and she won't judge me, it's more like she'd either talk me down from the ledge or push me to go further." The fair-haired young knight would smile wistfully as he recalled the conversations the two of them had together, laughing and bonding as the two of them carefully repaired the Zwei-related damages to the missing wolf Faunus's plushies. Sometimes their hands would touch one another and he swore that there had been a brief charge between the pair.

 _"It's just static electricity silly, it's not like the universe is telling us that we're clearly meant to be or something."_ He knew that she had meant it to be dismissive of what he had inferred to the red-hooded young woman, but she hadn't been quick enough to hide the reddening of her cheeks as he looked her way.

"I know it's stupid to think that a bit of static electricity is a sign from whatever the heck's watching over us, but there are other things that make me wonder: The way my stomach seems to fill with butterflies whenever we're in that room, the way her face seems to light up whenever we see each other, it's just..I never imagined myself falling in love-"

Pyrrha had finally heard enough at that point, deciding to hop down from the dais and quickly make for the exit much to her partner's surprise. _"I don't understand, I've been beside Jaune for as long as she has..I've been with him through the thick of battle and the trickiest of exams."_ She would quickly open and shut the door of the amphitheatre behind her even as Jaune called out to her once more, his voice filled with confusion and hurt at her sudden exit. "Were my intentions not clear? Should I have been more direct and outgoing like she is?" Rejection was very much a new feeling for Beacon's Maiden of Victory, even though her partner didn't explicitly imply that he preferred Ruby's company over her own. The very words that he had decided to use in that instant seemed to paint a very clear picture for the redhead, and it was one that she seemed unwilling to accept as she strode through the empty halls of Beacon, stopping as she saw the silver-eyed girl in question leaving the dorm room she was currently sharing with both her missing companion as well as the spiky-haired newcomer named Sora. _"Why, what makes you so special to them that they flock to you like bees to a fragrant aroma?"_ Fueled by a growing jealousy towards her partner's recently revealed feelings toward the crimsonette and would begin making her way over to the younger Huntress, stopping once she heard the reaper praying in whispers as she gently ran her fingers over the strange wolf illustration etched beside the dorm room door.

"Please be okay..it's been lonely without you here to talk with, I'm doing my best to hold down the fort and try and keep things just the way you had it before you left but.." The crimsonette would chuckle quietly to herself as she shook her head, almost as if her missing friend were listening to her words. "We've got another roommate buddy, and we're gonna have to start moving things around again when you finally come home. I can already see that scowl on your face, you know that Ozpin was eventually gonna make you get a roomie..I guess that's why what we have counts as practice, even though I know how comfortable you are with it."

Pyrrha would stay quiet as she continued to eavesdrop on her younger friend as she continued to converse with the illustration, remembering that she was somewhat younger than most of the student body in question. Even her own roommate was a year older than her, although it never seemed to hinder what she wanted to do in life and instead seemed to push her further and make her do better. Much like Jaune had mentioned to her moments earlier.

"I know that it's stupid for me to keep doing this every night, but I feel like you can hear me..like you're still here with me even though I know that things are bad, and you're probably scared, or angry, or hurt..and I'm angry that I can't be there to help you!" The hand that had been hanging loosely at the younger woman's side would curl into a fist and start pounding at the wall in frustration, tears trickling from her eyes as she recalled part of an earlier conversation with Blake as she had lobbied to join the ragtag group upon their rescue mission.

 _"if anything were to happen to you during the mission and you were to get hurt..Yang would never forgive me, and heaven help us all if he were to find out that you suffered due to his own screw-up."_ Deep down she knew that her feline teammate was correct, it honestly wasn't a question of her age or even her experience battling both the Grimm and the White Fang. Ozpin had apparently elected to choose this particular team of individuals for their abilities, knowledge of the enemy in question, or some combination of the two. The headmaster certainly wasn't the kind of man to toss a cluster of individual names in a hat and pick five at random, the man was methodical in every move he made.

Including allowing her to join the ranks of Beacon Academy two years before she was technically supposed to.

But this knowledge would do little to assuage the pain that her young heart was forced to endure as of late, her friends were out on a dangerous mission in enemy controlled territory to rescue another that had been captured.

It was then that Pyrrha decided to step out of the corner she had been hiding in and approach her grieving friend, gently laying a hand upon the younger girl's shoulder and spooking her out of her silent reverie as her emerald eyes met Ruby's silver ones.

"Pyrrha! What are you doing here, and how long were you listening?" The younger Huntress would blush slightly as the taller woman simply smiled in response to her question.

"Long enough to know that you're worried about your friend, someone you clearly love by what I managed to overhear." Whatever jealousy she had been experiencing beforehand had been left by the way side, it was clear that while her own partner was becoming infatuated with the young reaper due to the time they spent in closed quarters. Ruby clearly had her eyes set on the lone wolf who had taken up residence in the free dorm, and judging by how often she had seen the pair of them together in-between classes that the feeling was indeed mutual on Bálor's end as well. "He's going to be alright Ruby, he has friends out there searching for him, as well as those back here who clearly believe in the fact that he will return to them. Never let go of such faith, it's what keeps us all connected to one another no matter how far apart we may be. As long as we hold onto that belief in our hearts, we're never truly separated." The red-headed spear maiden would sigh quietly as a smile adorned her face, only to be met with a childish giggle from her younger counterpart.

"You've definitely been hanging around Sora haven't you, that sounds a lot like something he would say in this situation. Stuff about connections, and hearts." Ruby would smile to herself as she imagined the azure-eyed young man giving that same speech before following it up with a goofy smile, she wondered if the friends he'd left behind missed that smile and were holding onto that same faith Pyrrha spoke of. "Ya know, if I didn't know any better I swear you were starting to develop some kind of thing for our new friend." She would giggle even as Pyrrha's face began to redden at the thought of anything serious happening between the two of them, but she would smile nonetheless as her friend's cheery disposition had finally returned. Her happiness acting like a guiding star to her friends in need, even those lost in the darkness.

Lea would grumble quietly as he carefully moved his motorcycle Ifrit back into its hiding place outside of Yen Sid's tower, even though it was against his training to leave the tower. He needed some sort of freedom from Yen Sid's overwhelming presence and often went out into the worlds with his bike, and his run in with the blonde had definitely piqued his interest. "That girl had some kind of fire to her, kind of wish that I had had more time with her..at least without all the punching and strange diatribes." Still, he had to admit that she definitely had the kind of personality that he found amusing.

"There you are!" The warbled voice belonging to King Mickey's royal magician would jostle him out of whatever fantasy Lea was having, even as he whirled around to stare into the angry scowl of one Donald Duck. "We've been searching all over the castle for you mister!" He would quickly grab the startled redhead by his forearm before marching the wayward keybearer back inside the tower, despite the man's rushed attempt to explain where he had been.

 _ **As much as I'd love to rant on the amount of slander flung toward my recent stories, I'll let my stories speak for themselves. Trolls will be trolls, and the FNDM and I will continue to be at odds.**_

 _ **In the words of Eli Drake: That, is just a fact of life!**_


	11. Reprieve

_**Alright, I'm sure you all have seen the flood of reviews on this story and are probably wondering "WTF?" I honestly don't know why this individual seems to have it out for me, going as far as to create new accounts every time I justifiably block him. But rest assured that none of what he says is true, the crimes he mentioned carry very heavy sentences and as such if any of this were true than I would most assuredly be sitting in a cell right now and not posting this story in any way.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Sora would sigh tiredly as night began to fall upon the first day of their journey, they had spent the majority of the time fighting through more foliage than they did Grimm. The Boarbatusks that called this mountain home were of little consequence to him once he had gotten the rhythm of their rolling attacks down, although not without some chiding from the veteran member of the group.

 _"What the hell are you doing rookie! Striking at that armor won't get you anywhere, go for the belly already!"_ The fashionista had never been one to mince words when it came to giving out orders to her teammates, even as she was bashing a smaller Nevermore out of the sky while doing so.

" _Right!"_ The spiky-haired young man would slide beneath an oncoming Grimm and give it a few solid kicks before sending it into the air and cutting through its soft undercarriage with the Keyblade, grinning as it slowly disappeared into nothingness before deciding to transform the weapon into its dual pistol form and rain down bullets upon the remaining stragglers. It certainly made things so much easier for his companions to dispatch what was left of the enemy and proceed along the path, now that there were finally able to stop and rest their tired bodies it seemed like the perfect time for a group meeting to be called as Blake calmly stood around the small campfire they had created.

"Alright guys, according to the digital map we've made a good bit of progress through these mountains. But we're still a long way from where the base is situated, and the mountains seems only to get steeper and more dangerous from here."

Coco would groan audibly at this statement as she looked upon the scuffed heels of her boots with disdain, unlike the others who seemed to be dressed with more adequate footwear for the journey ahead of them, she had elected to wear the designer boots she had on her feet. "Yeah, because this is exactly what my aching dogs need..more hiking through the damn mountains!" This would cause Emerald to chuckle as she reached into her pack and pulled out some dried jerky and took a hearty bite out of it, she had gotten used to the taste of it during her earlier travels with Cinder..before Mercury arrived and mucked up their happy little dichotomy. "Aww sweetie, if you can't handle a little hike then how are you ever gonna make as a bonafide Huntress instead of just a student?" The thief would quickly reach for her weapon as Coco readied her minigun, only to feel the cold steel of her sickle at her throat. "Case in point, you're too slow to deal with someone like me, and I'm sitting here chomping down on dried animal meat!" Emerald would grin triumphantly as the other woman slowly backed off and moved further away from the antagonistic thief.

"I thought we agreed that this little rivalry of yours was gonna be quashed while we were out here, we're going up against the White Fang here..they may be a guerilla force of rebels but they've been in this terrain for so much longer than we have! They may know secret paths and traps about this area that can be used against us!" The yellow-eyed Faunus would glare at her team in disgust as the two embattled Huntresses stared bitterly at one another, but she would nearly crack a smirk as she noticed Zwei digging into Emerald's travel bag and making off with a good chunk of her jerky as he scampered off behind Sora to start biting into his pilfered meal.

"You've been awful quiet during this trip Sora, something on your mind?" The feline Faunus would quietly sit down next to the Keybearer while keeping a watchful eye on the corgi behind him. "You were so upbeat about getting out onto this mission with us, about seeing more of Remnant..and now here you are being a gloomy Gus, it's almost as horrifying as seeing a Ruby who hates cookies." The two of them would chuckle quietly as they imagined the young woman in question turning down a plate of cookies, it was something that the both of them knew would be categorically impossible seeing as that was how Sora had met the silver-eyed red hood.

"I guess I'm just curious as to what kind of person this "Bálor" is, I tried asking Ruby once and she just seemed to smile a little and than say that he was just..someone who needed a little TLC." The spiky-haired young man would stare up at the empty sky with a contemplative look, his brow furrowed in thought as he imagined a haggard, wrestling obsessed hobo. The raven-haired woman would smile wistfully as she looked into the fire in front of them, knowing the exact look on her leader's face when she must have made that statement.

"Ruby probably wasn't the best person to go to for information on our missing Faunus. Those two have a very strange bond with one another: She's doing her best to try and coax the man out of the wolf, and he's been pretty responsive to all of it..he'll at least be more civil than feral whenever she's around" Blake would sigh when she noticed the furthering of a confused look upon Sora's face and pat his head kindly, knowing that maybe there were just some things that couldn't be explained with words alone. "It'll make more sense when we finally track him down and free him, you should get some rest. I'll take first watch tonight, unlike us the Grimm don't really seem to sleep much. And as a Faunus I have better eyesight during the night."

With that the feline would stand and walk off into the distance as she began looking for a vantage point to look out for Grimm, leaving the Keybearer to mull over things that were outside of Remnant. "I wonder if the others are okay, I feel like time is flowing differently around here." He would frown upon recalling the journey through the Sleeping Worlds, one where His Majesty and his friends were brave musketeers who spent their time defending their kingdom and Princess Minnie against the dastardly forces of disgraced musketeer captain Pete and his associates, the Beagle Boys. Another where Mickey was the apprentice to the great Sorcerer Yen Sid who had gotten ensorcelled by the Spellican Nightmare, and thus left it to Sora to dive into a musical score and rescue the King by defeating the Spellican in an absurdly long battle with the creature. _"I hope that Xehanort hasn't made a move on the other worlds yet, but even then I'm sure Riku and the others can hold their own just fine."_

The azure-eyed young man would smile quietly to himself as he envisioned the faces of his allies who were no doubt eagerly awaiting his return to Yen Sid's tower, only to stop when he noticed the familiar visage of Pyrrha Nikos was now among the many of the faces who were smiling warmly back at him. _"Pyrrha..?"_ Again, his heart would skip the faintest of beats as he spoke her name, they had had limited interactions with one another but it was clear that he was feeling something towards the red-haired spear maiden but he couldn't exactly put a finger on what it was. Though it wouldn't keep him from staring up at the night sky as a tired but well fed Zwei curled up tiredly into his lap, his mind full of thought at what would happen next in their journey.

Emerald would sigh tiredly as she finally finished looking for a place for away from the campsite, having had to dispatch a pack of Beowolves along the way before finally settling down and pulling out her scroll and hitting the icon representing Cinder while fidgeting impatiently.

 _"You're late, you were to report in hours ago."_ The dark-haired pyromancer would scowl visibly, even as the dark-skinned Huntress cowered meekly under the weight of her Mistress's amber-eyed gaze. _"So how goes your little expedition into our mountain outpost, I trust you haven't done anything to compromise our cover?"_

"No ma'am, everything's still going smoothly..if not a little slow for my tastes." The verdant-haired thief would roll her eyes at the slow pace that the group had settled upon, it would've been much more convenient to have sent a small elite force of Huntsmen to assault the camp while their group quietly made their way in through the back.

 _"Good, I've spoken to our associate over at the compound and the prisoner seems to have quiet the penchant for pain. Although they've assured me that they may now have a bit of an ace up their sleeve in getting him to be more forthcoming to our plights."_ The pyromancer would grin wickedly as she stood up, dressed in the uniform that marked her as a student of Haven, it was one of the disguises that they used around the school whenever formal ceremonies were held. _"Although I've taken it upon myself to enact a contingency plan should this so-called ace turns out to fall flat, our..benefactor has seen fit to supply me with a rather "unique" assortment of gifts that should help out nicely when the time comes for us to strike."_ Cinder would smile smugly, seemingly proud of the mayhem that would soon be arriving on Beacon's doorstep while her associate seemed very much perturbed about the rising eagerness in her superior's voice.

"Mistress..are there any further orders, if not then I should really be getting back to the campsite before the others start getting suspicious." Emerald did her best to maintain a cool and even tone, despite the growing nervousness that was slowly building in the pit of her stomach.

 _"No, head back immediately and maintain your cover. And next time you **will** report back to me in a more prompt manner!"_ The pyromancer would terminate the call on her end before Emerald could give an affirmation of her orders, as well as some visible display of her fealty to the other woman. But on some level the dark-skinned woman truly believed that Cinder truly valued her, unlike the cocky silver-haired assassin that worked alongside them she had more time to get herself closer to the pyromancer and earn her trust.

"It's going to be alright, just stick to the mission and everything will be fine." The thief would continue muttering this as she began making her way back to camp, unaware that the Keybearer would still be very much awake and looking surprisingly disheartened.

"Penny for your thoughts newbie?" She would grin, expecting the subtle jab to ruffle his feathers somewhat. But judging by the worried frown on his face it seemed to miss the mark entirely, causing her to scowl and take a seat next to him and start poking at his shoulder in an attempt to rattle him out of his funk. "C'mon spiky-head, snap out of it and say something goofy about how awesome these mountains are." Emerald would keep on poking at the young man's shoulder, remembering how Mercury would usually bat her hand away before trying to legitimately punch her. However his silent reflection would persist, leading Emerald to think up more drastic measures before wrapping her arms around his neck and delivering a searing kiss and smiling internally as his azure eyes widened before scampering back in shock.

"E-Emerald! What the heck was that about?" The startled young man would stare back at her with his cheeks blushing brightly, even though the other Huntress couldn't really tell thanks in part to the darkness of the night. "I mean, I'm flattered that you think of me that way but…" He would go silent as the frown on his face slowly began to return, causing the thief to grin knowingly as she watched a half-awake Zwei slowly moving back to the lap he had been nestled in previously.

"Ahh, now I understand. The little goofball's already got a sweetheart in his sights!" Emerald would laugh quietly as she noticed the younger man twitching nervously at her words, such a sight made the earlier nervousness she had been feeling dissipate before gesturing for him to scoot closer. "Now now, be a good lad and tell Auntie Emerald all about this mystery gal..unless it's me then we're going to need to have a very serious talk."

Sora would balk at the thought of doing anything romantic with the thief, she seemed to enjoying messing with her allies and although she had proven to be an excellent fighter there was still a lot left that was unknown to him. "W-well, you'll be glad to know that I think of you as a very nice person. Even if you're slightly catty towards your teammates."

He would very carefully make his way over to her, careful not to disturb his furry companion while doing so while also trying to gather his thoughts.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure if I can refer to her as my "sweetheart" but she's definitely someone who makes me feel very different from the other girls I've met on my journey, I mean I get along well enough with my friend Kairi because we've known each other since we were kids." The azure-eyed young man would gently trace a peculiar heart in the sand as he mulled over his words carefully, having never truly broached the topic of romance with any of his friends. "But it's different whenever I'm around Pyrrha: my heart starts getting all fluttery, I tend to forget about whatever I was doing at the time and I feel like I could spend hours talking to her about anything without it getting awkward or boring." He would frown upon noticing the glum look that passed across Emerald's face as he said this, causing him to rub the back of his head nervously as she looked at him with a pointed glare. "No offense."

Emerald would roll her eyes before giving him a playful grin and giving him another poke to the shoulder. "So, she's really revving your engine by the looks of things." The thief would tap her chin thoughtfully as she observed the young man frowning in thought. "Does she know about any of this? Or are you thinking that you're going to be laughed out of the building there kiddo?"

Sora would shake his head vigorously as he stared back at the cocky woman as he thought about the taller red-head who was no doubt working hard back at Beacon Academy, training alongside her fellow teammates and enjoying the peaceful non-Grimm infested environment she was in. "I just..I don't really know what to say in this kind of a situation, I've never had these kinds of feelings before okay!" The spiky-haired young man would grumble to himself as Emerald fight down the urge to laugh, it was rare for her to be able to feel actual enjoyment around being around someone that wasn't apart of her little group of anarchists.

"Oh you poor little sap." She would shake her head while grinning happily at his continued flustered reactions, this was different then pestering her associate. Mercury would only pretend to be annoyed before trying to make some kind of a pass at her, Sora however seemed truly flummoxed by her playful behavior but didn't seem to have any intention of actually assaulting her in any way. "Alright, Alright, I'll walk you through this kiddo because lord knows that without my great guidance you'll choke."

The azure-eyed island boy would groan and slap his forehead at the thought of that very instance playing out. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence there Emmy." Regardless of how offended he tried to come off as, Sora would nonetheless grin sheepishly as he awaited instruction from the older woman.

"Now I'm gonna sit right here and pretend to be this girl who's got you so keyed up, and you're going to be you..confessing your deep rooted, mushy feelings to me. Got it?"

The sandy-haired Keybearer would take a deep breath and focus his thoughts, trying to envision himself sitting across from the taller red-head in a quiet room at Beacon.

"Pyrrha, I…I know we haven't known each other very long, and I'm sure you've probably gotten asked out by most of the guys here but…" He would hesitate visibly, not knowing how best to cross the bridge and confess what he truly felt. The girl sitting across from him would groan internally at his fear, wishing desperately that he'd man up and at least start spouting some kind of shitty poetry to break the silence building between them.

"Sora, it's okay..you know you can tell me anything right?" The thief had decided to take her role as the object of his affection more seriously and place a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "We're..friends after all." She would give his shoulder a gentle squeeze while trying to put on a more warm-hearted look for his benefit, watching as his cheeks reddened visibly before feeling his shoulders relax slightly.

"Pyrrha, I really care about you..I don't know how to explain it properly but I really like spending time with you, being around you, being-" He would growl and shake his head in frustration as his words failed him, even as Emerald frowned quietly. Clearly this was going to be a very long night for the both of them if this was the speech he planned to woo the woman with.

"Stop trying to think about it so hard, start speaking from in here instead of up here." She would gently poke him in the chest with her free hand before tapping him on the side of his head. "Trust me, girls would rather have honest and kind words then some lame pickup line heard in a bar. Now let's try this again, this time with feeling!"

 _ **Sorry if this one seems a little shorter than the last one, but considering the level of harassment I've had to endure over the last twenty-four hours I'm really starting to lose heart for the business of Fanfiction. I'm not saying that I'm any kind of a perfect saint, but I know myself well enough that the only crime I ever committed was stealing a crunch bar once or twice. Unlike the great Steve Corino, I am NOT an evil man. Even though I'm sure outside forces will soon litter this story with words saying otherwise as soon as this posts.**_

 _ **So I leave it to you guys to either follow/fav of your own accord, or to do the opposite if you're truly sick of this.**_

 _ **Because goodness knows that the admins of this site refuse to do their jobs.**_

 _ **Thanks for everything...maybe I'll come back again...someday.**_


	12. Struggle

_**Wow, I'm honestly and truly humbled by the support of both my fellow fanfic writers as well as my readers (both old and new) You came to help me in my darkest hour, and reminded me of why I started this journey. "Thank You" doesn't seem enough of a gesture to cover what I'm feeling right now. Hopefully this chapter will suffice.**_

 ** _Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix._**

The next morning would see Blake groaning tiredly as the sun beamed down upon her face, sleep had not come easy for the feline as she had taken it upon herself to take a double shift on watch in order to avoid tiring out the other members.

 _"Ever the self-sacrificer aren't you Kitten?"_ The teasing tone of her missing ally would whisper into her heart as the raven-haired feline woke up to find herself back at Beacon and on the dais of the amphitheatre, the silver-maned wolf Faunus standing patiently across from her as his eight crystalline blades circled around him. _"C'mon, on your feet already..the people are getting restless, apparently they really wanna see me get my ass kicked today."_

True to his words, Blake would notice the roar of the crowd around her as the stands were filled with her friends and allies all around her with a very exuberant Yang being her loudest supporter. _"Shit, this is a dream isn't it?"_ The yellow-eyed Huntress would sigh as she slowly got back to her feet, unsheathing Gambol Shroud out of instinct and facing her opponent. _"And I have to fight you until I finally snap out of it don't I?"_ She would watch his swords closely, looking for some kind of opening in their formation to strike him down quickly and get back to reality.

 _"Something tells me you've had this kind of dream before my dear, not that such knowledge is gonna make it any easier to-"_ Bálor would sigh as he blocked her strike from behind with one of his swords before retaliating with two other ones and driving her back with ease. _"Honestly Blake, you're better then this..a sucker punch attack really doesn't work against someone using EIGHT swords!_ " He would turn to face her with a calm smile as his swords once again began circling around him, the boos raining down upon him as the amber-eyed Huntsman seemed to bask in the revelry of it all.

 _"I don't have time for this right now, we're in the middle of a mission trying to save_ _ **your ass**_ _right now!"_ The feline would charge forth angrily as she tried to duck and weave around his weapons, growling as she finally saw an opening to attack the wolf head on as she brought her sword down to strike his shoulder. Only to gasp as the hit landed with ease and receive a headbutt to the bridge of her nose for all the trouble as she stumbled back, her eyes tearing up as the pain radiated through her face. " _What the hell was that, even for you that was a cheap shot!"_ The stunned feline would immediately start feeling around her nose, relieved to find that nothing was broken as the opponent's weapons flew back into their individual sheaths with an audible "snap" and leaving him holding one blood red-colored blade in hand.

 _"Cheap shot she says, this coming from a reformed terrorist."_ He would grin as she raised a curious eyebrow at his choice of words, Blake looking around nervously at the crowd of people only to find that they were still very much cheering for her victory. _"You realize what you're going up against and yet you still run away like a goddamn coward!"_ He would snarl and rush forth at her, the startled feline creating a duplicate to take the strike before slashing at him from behind, only to feel steel hitting crystal and releasing a melodious tone instead of a horrible clang as she leaped back and shifted Gambol Shroud into its pistol form and firing a few rounds as he began running to avoid being hit.

 _"He's acting differently, not his usual goofy self at all."_ Blake would backflip away from his attacks as she returned her weapon to its blade form in order to meet his strikes with a flurry of her own, she would notice the cold look in his amber eyes as they kept up a fierce dance of parries and strikes. _"This isn't like you at all! You're starting to act like…like-"_

He would kick her viciously in the knee, sending her to the floor as Gambol Shroud went flying from her hand as the raven-haired Faunus clutched at her throbbing knee as she looked up at the antagonistic wolf-Faunus before her. _"Why are you doing this, I know we haven't gotten along so well but..what would Ruby think of you acting like this?"_ Blake knew that if there was one thing that would give Bálor pause was his connection to her young leader, despite all the bravado and showmanship he gave off during his fights against other students. He was still very much a big 'ol softie when it came to the red hooded gal.

 _"Well, she'd be appalled by all of this..but I'd hoped you would understand by now that there's a point to this mess."_ He would point his blade at her abdomen, watching as her yellow eyes widened in fear, as flashes of her earlier nightmare involving Adam seemed to play out before her eyes. _"I know you're afraid, but you need to man up and get past this. Because the past is going to catch you, no matter how hard you try to run."_ He would slowly sink his sword into her abdomen, ignoring her cries of pain as the blade slowly sank further inside of her as she looked around in horror as the crowd kept cheering on despite the pool of blood forming beneath her. _"Do you really want to keep running Blake, even if it costs you the people you love most!?"_

Blake would feel the anger in her heart surging through her body, numbing the pain of his sword slowly biting through her flesh as she spotted Gambol Shroud mere fingertips away from her as she reached for the grip of her weapon, she was not about to allow herself to be overtaken in yet another dream. _"I'm. Not. Running!"_ She would snarl as her fingers finally wrapped around Gambol Shroud as and gripped it tightly as she swung for the wolf's belly, wincing as he stumbled back in shock as blood began to seep from the wound. _"I'm going to help make this world a better place, for humans AND faunus!"_ The feline would wince as she slowly pulled the red crystal sword from her abdomen as she kept her eyes focused upon the bleeding wolf, whose breathing was already starting to grow labored. _"But I'm going to do it MY way, not by furthering the violence!"_ Blake would struggle to stand up and face down her still bleeding friend as he fell to a knee as she placed a hand upon his shoulder.

 _"Heh, that's exactly what I was hoping you'd say Blake..just remember this moment every time you start to lose heart. Hold strong to your beliefs and keep on keeping on."_ Bálor would grin as he faded into nothingness along with the crowd, sunlight beginning to shine once again as the exhausted Huntress rolled her eyes at the rather obvious lesson that had been placed before her. _"I believe in you kitten._ "

Blake would awaken to the warmth of sunlight once more, only now the campsite would be more lively with the sounds of the rest of her team waking up and readying themselves for the day ahead of them. "Alright guys, grab a bite while you can because we're gonna be moving through these mountains double time!" The raven-haired Huntress would sit up slowly as she worked out the kinks in her sleep-ridden body, her teammates watching her expectantly as they awaited some sort of explanation on her current order. "The longer we dawdle here, the greater a chance we run of being exposed by the White Fang. This is their territory after all and I'm not about to let us be caught here with our pants down!" She would sigh as she strapped Gambol Shroud's sheath to her back before digging around in her own ration supply, settling on some dried tuna before digging in hungrily while reminiscing on the strange dream she had just endured.

After a quick meal with the team and some more time for Zwei to get a good sense of the missing Faunus's scent, Sora and the rest of the group would be running through the mountainous terrain as their leader instructed. The keybearer quickly pulling ahead thanks to the various adventures he had gone through as a Keyblade wielder, long distance journeys were a breeze for him and only Blake herself seemed to be able to keep up with his stride.

However this wouldn't keep Emerald from trying to do as she leaped from rock formation to rock formation in an attempt to keep an eye on the duo because her mistress demanded it, unfortunately this laser-like focus would prevent her from noticing the very unstable ledge she had landed on was giving was until her feet managed to hit air instead of stone. "Ahh!" The verdant-haired thief would cry out in shock she began to plummet towards her doom via crushing blows from the jagged rocks below, up above Sora would take notice of the scream and skid to a stop before leaping over the side and running across the side of the mountain to catch his falling friend who seemed shocked at his abilities as he continued to run back up the cliff side. "What..the heck? How are you able to do this Sora, it shouldn't even be possible!" She would look up at the azure-eyed young man who seemed to be enjoying the sprint back up and startling Coco who had been delegated to taking up the rear of the group, the fashionista looking at the two of them skeptically behind her sunglasses as the spiky-haired young man landed right next to her with the nearly fallen thief in his arms and a cheeky smile upon his face.

"For crying out loud kid, I dunno what the hell you were thinking back there with that stunt but…just don't do it again man!" Coco would shake her head tiredly as she began jogging in order to catch up with Blake and Zwei who had no doubt pulled ahead of them, unaware of the near casualty that had befallen the group as Sora set the tan-skinned Huntress down with a grateful smile.

"You alright?" He would ask while looking around at the area carefully, trying to keep a lookout for the Grimm as his friend tried to recover from her nearly-fatal experience. "You really had me spooked back there, if it weren't for your scream back there..well…" Sora would let his words trail off as Emerald just looked at him in shock, both at his ability in handling the mountainous terrain with the ease of a figure skater maneuvering around the ice rink. As well as the fact that he had decided to stop and risk himself and his safety for her sake, something that not even Cinder would do whenever things had gotten heated in battle (which with her, it often did) and often left her in precarious positions in certain battles as Mercury would often do his best to inflict damage against the enemy with little regard to her own well-being.

"Yeah, I'm okay..although I owe you one for saving my life, it's not everyday that someone looks out for me." She would go quiet as she looked down at her feet in shame as flashes of Cinder ran through her mind, the pyromancer had been her keeper and only family for a good few years but had done little to ensure her safety and had instead seemed to enjoy watching her subordinates learn by trial and error. _"I don't understand this goof, I've done nothing but mock and ridicule him for most of our time here and yet he seems to always been the first one to spring to my defense like some sort of white knight hero from an imitation fairy tale!"_ The thief would begin walking forward along the path while trying to figure out just what was going on in her heart, while Sora started falling in step behind her while looking on worriedly before realizing that Blake and company were still at a faster pace then they were currently moving at. "Sora, do you ever think that someone who's spend their whole life doing bad things can ever truly be redeemed?" She would ball her fists as she asked the question aloud, the young man beside her tapping his chin curiously in thought as he mulled over the answer.

"Well, it's definitely possible to be redeemed." The Keybearer would answer her bluntly as the two of them continued to move forward along the mountainous path, his thoughts drifting towards his friend Riku before speaking once again. "But it's not an easy thing to do, you really have to believe that you want to be better than the version of you that dwelled in darkness. It's something that constantly tempts you to fall back into your old shady habits because it feels "easier" than doing the right thing, but I've seen people come back from doing horrible things and make themselves into worthwhile heroes." He would grin proudly as he thought of his silver-haired friend as he had done his best to make peace with the darkness in his heart as the young man rose from being a pawn of evil that was used by the truly wicked such as the evil fairy Maleficent and even Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. But these experiences would serve to harden his resolve as he had chosen against walking the straight and linear path of Darkness or Light and instead forging his own path through the middle, a Road to Dawn that balanced the two paths into something stronger but completely different and unique all the same. "Why do you ask?" Sora would look over at her curiously, wondering if the tumble she had taken earlier was responsible for the sudden query.

Emerald would look up at her azure-eyed companion, trying not to let her emotions slip past the stoic façade that she had erected during his explanation. But before she could bring herself to give a proper answer to his question (whether or not it was the truth did little to bother her.) there would be a scream in the distance followed by sounds of gunfire and sounds of combat before sudden silence, leading the two of them to share a grim look before picking up the pace as they began to notice signs of a struggle: broken branches here, bullet holes there, even the occasional unconscious body as they began making their way closer to where the source of the scream was as they readied themselves for whatever might attack them as Emerald drew her sickles and Sora summoned the Keyblade as voices began to be heard.

"Well well well, seems like we caught ourselves a couple of rats..and they even got a little dog too!" A deep booming laughter could be heard as the spiky-haired teenager worried about the safety of his friends gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly, causing the keychain located below it to jingle somewhat. A troublesome quirk under normal circumstances, but seeing as the pair were going up against Faunus who were often vaunted for their superior senses that jingle would become a death knell as orders to retreat would quickly be shouted out, followed by sprays of gunfire in their general direction as the pair were forced to abandon their hiding place and retaliate with their own weapons while trying to avoid being hit. "Call back to headquarters, tell them we need additional troops to transport the prisoners!" The lead White Fang trooper would do his best to try and drive back the human interlopers while his subordinate did as he was told, not expecting to hear the sudden steps of Atleasian Knights heading for them. The machines were said to be ill-suited for this kind of environment thanks to information leaked to them by their mole on the inside. "Atlas troops..! B-but-" His frenzied protests would be silenced as he was struck down by a light bullet to the forehead, he would be down but not out as Sora and Emerald proceeded forward with the thief projecting an illusion of Atlas machines raiding the area while Sora knocked out the few soldiers who stayed behind.

 _"Hang on tight guys, we'll be coming to rescue you..just stay strong until then!"_

Adam Taurus would sneer as he read over the black book his people had pilfered from the captured Faunus's supplies, his eyes greedily absorbing every word written down in the young man's "War Journal" as it listed detailed thoughts and stratagems involving the members of Team RWBY. With a good chunk of the pages being dedicated to his thoughts on the Huntresses themselves, the deranged leader finding Blake's entries particularly enthralling as the wolf went to great detail in how to counter her Semblance in a variety of methods depending on the situation. But the juiciest part of the entry came with the commentary on the feline herself.

"Subject is a bit of a loner, preferring to hide behind a book than engage openly in conversation. Perhaps our differing species is to attribute for this behavior?" The red-headed Faunus would snicker at the vision of his former partner's contempt towards canines, and since wolves weren't that far off in terms of genetics it was a fair bet that her natural aversion would extend to include the battered wolf Faunus that was currently chained up in the dungeon a few feet away from him. "All subsequent attempts to establish communication with subject Belladonna have proven to be disastrous, will try to avoid any future interactions for the benefit of self-preservation. Although, on a personal note..her posterior is quite the specimen in itself!" Adam would snarl as he balled his fists tightly, nearly destroying the book that was currently in his possession before angrily tossing it aside instead before making his way back into the torture room where the captive Bálor was being held. "You've got quite the nerve you impudent little pup, objectifying my partner's ass the way you did in your little diary! I oughta skin you alive just for that alone!" The mad Faunus would slap the prisoner hard across his already bruise-ridden face, only earning the tiniest of whimpers in reply as one dulled amber eye opened to greet him.

"An ass comment..in a diary, sounds like someone's..been reading a tad too much…Ninjas of Love to me." The wolf Faunus would struggle to laugh at his own low-brow humor, his ribs aching from the pain of semi-periodic beatings. "But hey..I guess we all…have our kinks." His eye would twinkle with momentary mirth before being met with a vicious fist and leaving with a shiner for his troubles as the deranged leader struggled to hold back the tidal wave of anger, wishing that he could bifurcate the prisoner and be done with this little game that Cinder was forcing him to play.

"You can make all the jokes you want boy, just remember that your little black book can be used against you as well. Say, for instance..if I decided to go after a certain little red hood that you're just dying to sink your teeth into." The chains binding Bálor's hands above his head would rattle weakly in response to this veiled threat, the guerilla leader had made sure to keep the young man battered and hungry so he wouldn't have the energy to try and escape. So to see his telekinetic Semblance reacting, no matter how weak the effect had given Adam all that he needed to know.

He had found a chink in his prisoner's iron will, and he had just the tools he needed to break it thanks to the young man's own words. "I wonder how appealing she'll be once she's been stripped of a limb or two…or perhaps something even more precious to her well-being?" The deranged bull-Faunus would laugh as the chains rattled aggressively, clearly the girl in the red hood meant something to both his captured wolf and the traitorous feline.

"Master! News from the front of the base, a small raiding party's been spotted just outside the perimeter of the compound, we've managed to capture a few of their members and..well you're going to want to see this for yourself sir!" Lyla, his faithful right-hand would speak from outside the door as the chain rattling died down, diminishing the older man's enjoyment of the situation.

"Very well, I'll be out there soon." Adam would spare himself one final look at his prisoner, the amber in his eyes flickering with pure hatred as if he hoped the heat of his fury would melt the chains binding him. "That's a good lad, hold onto that hatred. Nurture it, perhaps it will make you strong enough to see the righteousness of our cause." The masked Faunus would slam the door behind him, just in time to see the guards leading a pair of Huntresses and a dog down to the holding cells. He would disregard the first Huntress and the dog as nothing to be concerned about, however once his eyes gazed upon the raven-haired feline he would grin sadistically as he approached the woman in question and watched as she shrunk back in fear of his presence.

"Hello, my darling."

 _ **Gah, I think I creeped myself out writing that last bit. Adam always struck me as a bit of a psycho during my 20+ viewings of the Black Trailer, Volume 3 pretty much cemented it. His demeanor toward Blake throughout chapter 11 gave me such bad vibes that I had to jump in the shower afterwards just to wash off the filth (as well as cry over Yang losing her arm, I'm a Yang guy. Sue me) and thus I kinda went with that same vibe for the events towards the end. Sorry if I offend some folks, but I'm just trying to capture his character as best I can.**_

 _ **No new chapter til tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday because I need a day to recharge and catch up on the sleep this chapter cost m.**_

 _ **it's 3:05 AM, do you know where your Ruby plushie is?**_


	13. Into the Lions Den Pt 1

_**Holy crud I am SO sorry Ladies and Gentleman! Bad weather, family issues, lack of motivation. All of these things are piss poor excuses as to why I've been unable to update this fic. I beg your forgiveness!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Sora and Emerald didn't waste much time in moving beyond the area that they first encountered the White Fang troops in, he had lost friends to villainous traps in his previous adventures and knew that time was of the essence in any sort of a rescue attempt. Thanks to the verdant-haired thief beside him, the pair now had a clear layout of the path leading to the base but were still cautious of the fact that not only were there still Grimm to be found in the area, they also had to deal with the possibility of more White Fang troops, and even the possibility of more traps similar to the ones that were no doubt responsible for the capture of Blake and the others.

"According to the map, there's a shortcut not far from here that'll get us past some of the trickier laser-based traps but.." Emerald would furrow her brow as she looked over the scroll she had pilfered from one of the downed soldiers, not recognizing the strange black skull-symbol designated over the area as anything she had seen in her past experiences working alongside Cinder or the White Fang.

Sora would stop in his tracks as he took notice of the other woman's prolonged silence and look back in concern, wondering what could have turned the usually snaky Huntress into something of a mute. "What's up Em, something on that map we should be concerned about?" As much as the azure-eyed Keybearer longed to keep moving closer towards the compound where the others were trapped in, he knew better than to question the sudden change of expression from his new friend. _"You should be more careful about rushing headfirst into things, goodness knows you've fallen into enough traps because of that."_ The voice of his best friend and fellow Keyblade user Riku would echo in his heart, remembering a bit of their last conversation before Sora returned to his training in the Sleeping Worlds and clenching his fist in determination.

"I don't recognize what this black skull symbol means, but I'm betting it's not a good sign that we're about to head into the land of milk and honey." Emerald would give his shoulder a firm pat before starting to hack through the brush that no doubt led to the shortcut she had alluded to beforehand, leaving the spiky-haired teenager to give one last look at the scenery behind them before following her carefully. "I hope you're watching my flank kid and not my ass!" She would grin, knowing that such a statement would leave the younger flustered and beet red as the verdant-haired Huntress pushed forward. _"Little dork reminds me of Ruby: young, naïve, eyes wide and full of hope about saving the world."_ The grin would slowly leave her face as she continued to hack down the greenery around them, unlike her two younger counterparts she knew how awful the world of Remnant could really be..even before Cinder had found her and taken her under her wing. The greed of individuals wanting to hold onto their positions of power by any means necessary, even if it meant spilling the blood of the innocent. Even if it meant cutting down children before they had a chance to experience life and the happiness that came with it.

"Emerald, we've got incoming!" Sora's voice would break through the haze of sadness that the dark-skinned Huntress was enduring to hear the sounds of gunfire around them as Sora did he best to shield the duo from attack. "Gonna need you to work on finding that shortcut!" The azure-eyed young man would do his best to keep the shield he had going, but it was clear by the amount of strain in his voice that things were already beginning to look bleak for them. With one final swing of her sickles she could feel the faint breeze of a draft coming from up ahead, the shortcut was finally in sight and all she had to do was run through it and go along with the mission as she had been ordered to.

 _"Can I really just go on and leave him to be captured? I mean he did save my life earlier…"_ Emerald would cringe as she remembered the feeling of weightlessness she felt as she began falling from the cliffside, as well as the elation she had felt when Sora had been the one to save her when the rest of the team had clearly displayed issue with having her come along. (Although it didn't help that she had been something of a snaky bitch for the majority of their journey.) "…Dammit." The thief would shift her sickles to their pistol form and start giving the beleaguered Keybearer some much needed cover fire, a few more guards would go down because of this as the young man sighed in relief at her appearance. "C'mon kiddo we gotta get moving! Finally got a whiff of our way in and we're burning daylight!" Emerald would groan and grab the Keybearer by the scruff of his hood and start dragging him back with her to the entrance, even though he was still firing back a few shots here and there. "Appreciate the moxie Sora but take it from me, there are just some fights that you just can't win!" She would toss the azure-eyed young man through the entrance point before leaping down into the darkness of the tunnel herself, the guards would begin to run toward the entrance only for the lead man to keep the others from continuing pursuit.

"No way in Hell are we going down there, those two just signed their own death warrants by doing so..if the traps don't turn them into burnt toothpaste then the little surprise we have sitting down there will enjoy making mincemeat out of them." He would hesitate as his younger compatriots were reaching for their radios, sighing as he bonked their heads together in disgust. "It's not worth wasting the boss's time with your shenanigans boys, we caught most of the group and the other two are walking along that pretty green mile to Hell." The White Fang Captain would sneer as he gestured for his remaining troops to follow him, even as they were groaning in varying levels of pain as they fell into step behind their leader.

Pain.

Pain was the first thing Blake felt upon returning into consciousness, although she was confused as to when she had gotten knocked out in the first place. "Oh God, please let this be a horrible nightmare." The raven-haired feline would slowly scan the area around her, finding herself suspended with her hands tied to a long chain and her mentor giving her a lust-filled look behind his visor as he held a whip in his hand. "Just when I thought you couldn't disgust me more Adam, you find some new low to sink to and make my stomach flip just a little more." She would growl and attempt to spit in his face as the masked bull Faunus just sidestepped her impulsively fired loogey with a halfhearted grin.

"Ahh Blake, always the rebellious little spirit. It's one of the things I treasured about you, back in the day we both had the same mindset: To gain freedom for our brothers and sisters, to give all Faunus in Remnant a place to call home!" He would ball his fist as he spoke, the burning red energy of his Semblance now making itself apparent to the two individuals in the room. "So why then, did you decide to leave my side and stand with those useless cattle?!" He would snarl and bring his whip to bear down upon her exposed thigh, visibly relishing in her yelps of pain and shock before finally relenting and allowing her to answer his question.

"Because your methods are completely insane! How is hurting the humans going to bring us any kind of equality, they'll only view us as the terrorists and monsters they already think we are!" Her words would be rewarded with a stinging lash to her backside as Blake bit her lip to avoid crying out in pain, instead channeling her anger into rage as she struggled against the chains that were binding her hands and wrists together only to find that they would only tighten as she continued to struggle. _"What's with these chains, there's absolutely no give to them at all!"_

Adam would continue to mercilessly whip her back as another White Fang soldier entered the room and casually removed the helmet covering her face to reveal a platinum blonde-haired lynx Faunus with aquamarine colored eyes, a grin on her face as she saw just how tense the chains were clenching her wrists. "I see you've gotten quite acquainted with my special chains, I laced them with my very own "Tension Dust" since so many foolish humans think they're strong enough to break steel chains through sheer force of will." The other female would grin while admiring the red welts adorning the captive Huntress's body, even as she sauntered her way over to the red-headed Faunus's side with a loving smile upon her face. "Master, I've placed the other captives alongside our little other little doggie. I didn't think he would mind a little company in his near-rabid state." The lynx would giggle cutely as she hovered near the whip-wielding Bull Faunus who seemed less than pleased by her presence judging by how his body tensed. "Soooo, this is the one who got away." She would continue to pace the room as her eyes scanned Blake passively, her tongue making little clicking noises as she continued her observation. "Hmm, she's passable."

Adam would clench his free hand into a trembling fist as he glared at his subordinate, contemplating on whether this would be the day he finally rid himself of her idiotic and pixie-like demeanor via a clean slice through her neck. "Lyla, why are you here? I doubt you would waste my time by coming here to oogle a prisoner." His eyes would dart to the whip in his hand, envisioning a scenario where he would wrap it around the blonde's neck and hearing it snap like a twig.

"Huh? Oh right, the sensors inside the underground lab have detected two life signals not of Faunus origin. I'm betting it's more of this one's little teammates, shall I deploy a squadron to go deal with our little pests?" Lyla would look to her master pleadingly, wanting another opportunity at proving herself worthy in his demented eyes.

However, the visored Faunus would chuckle quietly before shaking his head and approaching his captive student. "Don't bother, they'll only serve as fodder for what's lurking in that area. As for what I want you to do, I'd like you to go and inform the remaining troops that we'll be holding a war council soon." He would wave his hand dismissively even as she bowed in reverence before skipping out of the room and humming a jaunty tune, even as Blake seemed to be trying to hold back a fit of laughter.

"Still ever the manipulative bastard, except now you've resorted to using a child to do your dirty work!" She would hiss visibly even as Adam's grin seemed to intensify in response to her anger, except now she knew better than to struggle against the chains in question. "Tell me, do you enjoy feeling her up like you did with me back in the day? Seeing as she seems so eager to please her Master!"

Adam would be visibly furious at this allegation before laying in the whip strikes to her stomach and legs, her clothing visibly ripping in some places due to the sheer power behind his blows. "Do you honestly believe I would waste any energy on such a vapid, annoying, clingy little tart like **her**!?" His rage would only build upon hearing her screams of agony, his body trembling as he struck her legs viciously as more welts rose to prominence before he finally stopped to look upon his handiwork. "You're the only girl for me Blake, that's something that will never change..no matter how hard you try to run away from me, you'll always be mine."

" **THIS** is a shortcut?" Sora would exclaim in shock as he narrowly avoided a pillar of flames rising out of the floor by leaping to the side, Emerald would be busy trying to maneuver her way around disappearing floor panels and avoiding the occasional mace to the skull to properly answer him. "Just what kind of lunatics are these people, putting death traps into a shortcut!?" The Keybearer would do his best to make it through the fire pillars, only to be greeted by a floating steel ball which quickly produced a trio of barrels and laid into him with laser fire. Luckily he would be quick to deflect the bolts with his Keyblade before splitting it in half with a sigh of relief, only to be faced with the threat of both spinning and disappearing platforms ahead of them. "Oh come on!"

Emerald would sigh in exhaustion as she finally stood beside the equally exasperated young man, her red eyes widening somewhat at what awaited them and trying not to completely lose heart at the sight. "You've gotta be kidding me, this isn't a shortcut…this is Hell!" The thief would balk at the insane amount of jumping and leaping involved, noticing the occasional laser ball flying overhead as she tried to visualize a pattern of making it through this myriad of pain.

"I'll get us through this Em, I can make these kinds of jumps no problem..I just need you to give me some cover fire from the lasers." The azure-eyed young man would look to Emerald quietly, not knowing what to think of the woman at the moment. In one instance, she seemed perfectly content to make fun of how enamored he was with the world of Remnant while the older Huntress took it for granted. However, there were those moments where she turned out to be a truly good-hearted individual when she tried to walk him through confessing his feelings towards Pyrrha with so-so results. "Can I trust you to watch my back while we go through this nightmare?"

Emerald's gaze would falter visibly as he asked for her trust, she of all people knew that no sane-minded individual would dare trust someone of her sketchy nature with their life in such a treacherous situation. Even Mercury, her own partner would occasionally lament about how he expected to one day be stabbed in the back by her in the heat of battle. And yet, here was this child..this boy who claimed to be from an island and wielded a weapon unlike any she had ever seen, who had twice gone out of his way to save her life when others would have left her to die in agony was now counting on her to survive with zero expectation of a betrayal.

 _"Goddammit kid…why do you have to look at me with those big 'ol baby blues, like you have no of the damage I can do to you with your back so easily exposed."_ She would take one last look at the expansive area of platforms and pit falls that awaited them, sure they would leave her plenty of places to send the agile young man to an untimely grave and proceed with the mission on her own merit. But that would lead to Ozpin asking questions about the azure-eyed boy's fate and ultimately lead him to scrutinize herself and her team, and such scrutiny would hamper her mistress's efforts to bring ruin to both Vale and the academy and perhaps even lead to the overall failure of the mission.

And if there were any one thing that a woman of Cinder Fall's demeanor refused to tolerate, it would be failure of any kind.

Failure would mean that she would be disowned by the one person who had given her life any purpose, it would mean returning to a life on the streets where survival carried little chance of a guarantee to see tomorrow. Emerald Sustrai had endured such a life before Cinder and it was horrible, she refused to let her own actions be the thing that drove her back into that kind of hell.

 _"Never again."_

With a firm look of determination set in her eyes, she would give the now puzzled Keybearer a silent nod of affirmation as he knelt down and cupped his hands behind his back. "We really gonna do this piggyback style? I mean, you did great scaling that mountainside Sora but this is a lot of acrobatic flippy-dippy stuff we're talking about here." The azure-eyed young man would smile confidently before gesturing for her to get on, not even wincing as she did so and instead holding the older woman in place as she readied her weapons for the insanity that awaited them. "Ready whenever you are slick, she would carefully scan the area taking note of the drones nearest to them before he vaulted off of the platform that they had been standing on.

"Remember to keep a sharp eye, I'm not exactly in a position to counterattack these guys!" Sora would leap nimbly from one disappearing platform to another, doing his best to keep focused on the path ahead while Emerald laid down suppressive fire on the drones. Dodging their blasts wasn't an option given how the disappearing platforms behaved, a single seconds delay between movements would more then likely prove fatal to the pair no matter how skilled Sora had become in traversing treacherous terrain thanks to the training in the Sleeping Worlds. He had zero choice but to trust that the thief's aim would prove true in striking down the annoying drones, just as she had to trust that his agility and reflexes would carry them across the expansive abyss ahead of them.

"Shit, these things are everywhere!" The dark-skinned thief would mutter to herself as she shot down a pair of drones off to her left, doing her best to compensate her aim whenever the Keybearer took off from one platform to another and deal with the lurching sensation that appeared in her stomach as he did so. _"God, I really hope I packed enough ammo clips to deal with all this craziness."_ She would quickly dispatch another drone ahead of them with her left pistol while shooting down two more with the right, so focused was the green-haired Huntress upon her task that she didn't even notice that the jumping had ceased and that the young man was now setting her down upon solid ground. "…We made it." The surge of relief that she felt at that moment caused her legs to quiver before kneeling down and kissing the cold metal floor graciously, unaware that the azure-eyed young man would be watching her reaction with a mirthful grin while wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, thanks to some great teamwork. I can see why the rest of your team would trust you to fight beside them, you're a heck of a shot with those pistols Em." Sora would offer her a helping hand up, only to receive an indignant scowl from his partner before she slapped his hand away as she stood up.

"You don't know a damn thing about me! Because if you did, you would know better than to place any kind of faith in me!" Emerald would bump his shoulder as she approached the door to the next section of their path, leaving the young man bewildered at her sudden shift in personality.

Coco Adel felt humiliated as she recalled the circumstances of their capture.

For some reason Sora and Emerald were lagging behind, their faithful little pooch had finally gotten a whiff of the person they had been sent to find and was now charging ahead of the group as she and Blake were now doing their best to keep up.

 _"Seems like we're getting closer here rookie, hopefully we can just patch him up and carry him back to an extraction zone because I'm sick and tired of all this lousy heat!"_ She would pat the extra satchel that Ruby had packed for her missing roommate, it was clear to the fashionista that the younger woman was clearly infatuated with the fashion-inept rogue and if she had had the proper amount of time to do so then Coco would've given an expansive point by point presentation on why dating your roommate and a general stranger to the Academy population was a terrible idea.

Blake would nod silently as she kept her eyes upon the little corgi out in front of them, she had her own reasons for wanting to get as far away from this area as humanly possible. The White Fang represented a part of her life that she desperately would rather forget she existed, the raven-haired feline was looking to use her skills for the betterment of both humans and Faunus alike and the guerilla group were the antithesis of every goal she was now striving for.

However, a sudden yelp in the distance would break the tension in the air as both Huntresses suddenly picked up the pace of their run as the grassy area around them expanded to see Zwei caught in the grip of a rather burly White Fang soldier as more troops quickly surrounded the two women with rifles raised.

 _"One false move and your furry little friend here becomes food for the new recruits down in the barracks."_ The other troops would chuckle amongst themselves at the thought of the newer troops unknowingly chowing on dog meat as a part of their initiation, even as the human and Faunus across from them would be visibly disgusted by their words. _"Weapons down ladies, I'm sure this dog's owner would much like to see their little friend come back in one piece. Wouldn't you agree?"_

Coco would look down at the napping Corgi in her lap and gently scratch the canine behind his ears, smiling wistfully as she worried about the well-being of her two Faunus allies. The leader of the White Fang had clearly had an unhealthy interest in the feline as the three of them had been presented to their captors, and there was still the missing wolf to consider. As a Faunus of varying types of training and a recklessly brutal mindset in battle, he would be of a tremendous asset to the White Fang's ranks..especially if they were able to find a way to exploit the amber-eyed Huntsman in training to do so. And she already considered one red-hooded, cookie loving chink in his resolute armor.

"He would do anything to protect Ruby, I figured that out the first time someone decided to push his buttons."

It had just been another day at Beacon Academy with Coco calmly spending her lunch period coming up with ideas to alter the school uniform while the rest of the rookies around her would busy themselves with relationships, pranks, or in the case of their newest oddball: Keeping one's nose buried in a comic book.

 _"Well, I suppose it's too much to ask for a bad fashion sense to be the new guy's only flaw."_ The fashionista would look down at the doodle she had been working on, it had been meant to be a variation upon the girls' uniform to be worn in the spring. However her thoughts had gotten so carried away from her original idea, that what started as a sundress-variant on the uniform into a loving tribute to her own Faunus partner Velvet Scarlatina. _"It's pretty clear that I'm not getting any actual work done today. Guess I should go spend time with my Velvet instead of the doodle version."_ She would begin to rise from her seat when the sound of laughter caught her attention, looking over to see the four members of Team CRDL harassing an innocent soul. _"What a bunch of pigs, trying to prove their superiority in the grimiest ways possible."_ she would continue to turn away from the scene when a voice cried out in shock.

"Hey, gimmie back my cookie you jerks!" The young voice of a cookie-loving Ruby Rose would be heard as she was desperately reaching for a jumbo-sized chocolate chip cookie that was being held above her head by a grinning Cardin Winchester, clearly he had forgotten how pivotal the crimsonette and her team had been in defeating the Grimm that had invaded the city of Vale during the "Breach" incident. "C'mon guys, give it back!" She would jump as high as she could in hopes of finally reclaiming her pilfered treat, only to be knocked aside by the taller Huntsman and stumbling against the usually quiet wolf Faunus and sending the comic book in his hands flying across the table. "O-oh, I'm really sorry Bálor! I didn't see you there!" She would quickly retrieve the comic book in question with a burst of speed and go to hand it back to him, but not without taking note of who was on the cover. "Little Red Hood?" The cover would feature a young woman dressed in a red hood not unlike her own, swinging a blood covered scythe at a horde of oncoming demons.

The silver-haired Faunus would grin sheepishly as he took back the comic book in question. "It's not my usual choice of reading, but what can I say? Something about it just..reminded me of someone very special." He would calmly set the book back down onto the dining hall table before standing up slowly and turning to face the bullying foursome in question. "And I don't appreciate a group of prissy little rich boys messing with my Little Red Hood!" Bálor would snarl before viciously head butting a less than ready Cardin Winchester, catching the cookie with his Semblance before delivering a shot to Sky Lark's throat that would send him to the floor in a heap as he gasped for air.

Realizing that things had gotten serious for the remaining three members of the team, Dove and Russell would attempt to restrain the irate Faunus only for their target to jump back onto the table before laying the two of them out with a split legged dropkick and sending them tumbling back against the table as Cardin roared back into the picture with a vicious right hook. "You filthy little mutt, you think that messing with us will gain you any brownie points with her bimbo of a sister?! Yang Xiao Long's like the village bicycle, everyone's had a-" The snobbish young man would be silenced be a streak of red smashing into his face, after all there were only a handful of things that pissed off someone as good natured as Ruby Rose: You mess with her friends, her family, or her cookies. And Cardin Winchester had managed to pull off the hat trick with his latest slur directed towards her older sister.

"You ugly, hate-filled piece of garbage! I oughta smash that pretty face of yours, just wait til I get you on the dais with Crescent Rose I'll carve you up like a turkey-" Before the red hooded young woman would continue her threat, she would be feel herself being pulled away and both the cookie and the comic book being placed in her hands. "Wait - what are you doing?" Ruby would look up to see a solemn look on her amber-eyed friend as he shook his head quietly.

"Time for you to hit the road Little Rose, Goodwitch's coming and you don't need this kind of heat." Bálor would gently push the smaller Huntress towards the exit as he kneeled down on the Winchester family jewels. "Ain't that right Cardy? Every bit of this was my fault, wasn't it?" The wolf would growl audibly as he bared his fangs towards the downed Huntsman, who would only groan in agony for a reply as he once again gestured for the crimsonette to flee. Something she would finally relent on when it was clear that he was deadset on taking the flak for all of it, even though she had contributed slightly towards the situation. "It's okay Ruby, I'm already a bad seed when it comes to Goodwitch's radar so this won't surprise her one bit. Now get going!"

The crimsonette would sniffle quietly before running off in a flurry of speed.

"What I saw that day was a totally different side to the crazed lunatic dressing up in gimmicks every time there was a sparring session on the schedule, he had someone he clearly wanted to protect more than anything else in the world. Even to the point that he willingly took being confined to his room for two months: No sparring sessions, no weekend trips into Vale, he even missed an impromptu dance set up for the underclassmen just to make sure Ruby would avoid any kind of flak." Coco would sigh and continue to pet a sleeping Zwei as gently as she could manage without waking him. "That's more than just loyalty to a friend, that's dedication to someone you **LOVE** …and that kind of love can be just the kind of thing scumbags like the White Fang can turn into a weapon."

 _ **I was really hoping to make this into a jumbo-sized chapter in order to make up for the horribly long delay in getting this chapter up, but unfortunately it's SO massive that I gotta split it up into two parts.  
For those of you following the outfit fics (Separation, Salvation, Shadows of Mercy, and Sympathy for the Devil) I haven't forgotten those fics and am planning on getting back to them once this mission Arc is completed (in about 3-4 chapters)**_

 _ **For the handful following Mmm Gorgeous (CocoxVelvet fic) I could really use your help in how to continue that fic so doesn't hesitate to drop me a PM with your ideas/suggestions.**_

 _ **Ta-Ta for now!**_


	14. Into the Lions Den Pt 2

_**After a very long time away from this fic, I'm back with a shorter offering for everyone. I could apologize for the stupidly long delay but I got nothing.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix**_

Sora was be perplexed as he looked around the area that he and Emerald now found themselves standing in, the number of appearing and disappearing platforms had definitely lessened but it was only to be replaced by more pillars of fire, spinning saw blades, and the occasional blast of electricity from modules that had been colorfully decorated to appear as smiling kitty faces. "And I thought the last room was a nightmare, this is just plain sick." The Keybearer would watch as the verdant-haired thief began pacing a line as she tried to figure out a safe way to navigate the newest threats, he still wondered what triggered her earlier outburst of contempt towards him.

 _"You don't know a damn thing about me! Because if you did, you would know better than to place any kind of faith in me!"_

Sora would frown in thought for a moment before balling a fist and summoning his Keyblade and freezing the pillars in front of her before running forward quickly as he looked back at the bewildered Huntress. "Move it Emerald, these things aren't going to stay frozen forever!" The spiky-haired young man would turn back just to make sure that she had begun running, only to see her immediately rushing past him and blasting a walking spider mech that was quickly approaching the young Keybearer before turning back to him with a scowl.

"How stupid are you?! We're here to find Ozpin's little butt boy and get the hell out of here, I don't have time to be watching your backside!" The dark-skinned thief would sigh tiredly before moving onward, leaving Sora even more flustered at her sudden change in demeanor as he followed behind her as more drones flooded out of the ceiling to stop their advance.

"What the heck is your problem Em? Our friends are counting on us to rescue them and yet all you seem to do is fight with me for some reason!" He would use the Magnet spell to bring a cluster of the drones and send them flying into the various traps around them before smashing his Keyblade down upon a spider mech that was preparing to leap upon Emerald's back. "All I did was ask for you to trust me, and then you totally flip out on me! I don't understand what your issue is with trusting people is-" The azure-eyed young man would gasp as one of her bullets whizzed past his face and split a drone in two before finally looking straight into the deep blue wells of his soul.

"No, you wouldn't understand what my issue is wouldn't you?" The thief would holster her weapons as she started hopping across the disappearing platforms as Sora tried to stay in stride with her, the other girl rolling her eyes as she made it to the safe end of the platform only to see one of the smiling kitty faces looming overhead. "Oh fu-" A quick mewling sound would be heard before a surge of electricity would pass through her body as Emerald cried out in pain.

"Emerald!" Sora would immediately slash through the kitty head that was electrocuting the Huntress before shifting his Keyblade to its pistol form and blasting every other kitty head in sight, kneeling down to check on her condition and sighing in relief as he felt a pulse. "Thank Goodness, she's just unconscious." He would look over at the path ahead of them: rotating platforms that seemed to lead towards a higher pathway, the occasional swinging bladed pendulum seeming to try and impede their progress from there as he once again mulled over the lunacy of such a trap-laden shortcut for their own members.

"It's like this entire place is one giant proving ground, only incredibly lethal if you make one slip up." The Keybearer would sigh as he looked back at the unconscious Emerald with a concerned frown, even with the mood swings she had been putting him through during the course of their travels the fact still remained that he could not make it through the base by himself.

 _"Blake and the others are counting on us to rescue them, Ruby's counting on me to rescue her friend who's still somewhere in this place, not to mention that my friends back home and at Beacon are counting on me to get out of this mission alive."_ Sora would sigh and gently place Emerald upon his back once more as he looked up at the moving platforms ahead of him, trying to memorize the timing of the pendulums that lined the pathway while giving one last visual sweep for drones before taking a breath and breaking out into a run.

Dangerous situations like this had always done little to deter someone with as stalwart and courageous a heart as his own, and as Sora did his best to balance himself and an unconscious Emerald without either of them getting a lock of hair removed.

Or worse.

"Just gotta keep moving forward!" The spiky-haired young man would feel his balance wobble somewhat as he let out a slight gasp of concern before sorting himself out as he was now standing on the final pendulum keeping him and his companion from getting access to the next section of the hidden passage. "If I keep moving forward then I can get back to Riku, and Donald, and Goofy, and Kairi!" Sora would let out one final yell as he leapt from the final pendulum and made it to the cold steel platform with a grateful sigh of relief, he needed to keep moving with the mission at hand and rescue the others, get the heck out of this weird "shortcut", and then somehow find a way back home to the friends he had left behind when he had first begun his training anew.

Lea knew he was in for the scolding of a lifetime when he (and a still very irate) Donald finally made it to the top of the long staircase and finally entered Master Yen Sid's study to find the old Sorcerer stroking his beard with a knowing scowl upon his face.

"Listen Master, I can explain this whole lack of progress regarding my Keyblade training. It's just REALLY hard trying to manifest the darn thing and I was feeling really stressed and before you know it-" The redhead would go silent as the older man held up a hand to silence any further explanation from his de-facto pupil, instead he would lean forward and summon the familiar grid of the Sleeping Worlds.

"There has been a disturbing development concerning Sora's recent training as of late: He has once again disappeared during the course of his journey, I fear that Master Xehanort may once again be plotting to once again try and add the young man to the ranks of his thirteen Darknesses." Yen Sid would display the current lineup of forces representing the Darkness, chief among them were the older Master Xehanort and his new Organization made up of individuals who had a piece of the man's heart instilled in them upon joining his ranks.

Lea would frown visibly upon seeing the visage of his friend Isa standing amongst the group, flashes of their time together as younger men in Radiant Garden would cross his mind as the Master had gone silent upon seeing the fiery-haired man's distress.

"We were barely able to stop him the last time he tried to pull this cheap stunt, honestly if it hadn't been for some dumb luck and the old man's penchant for monologuing then we would have lost Sora back then!" The emerald-eyed Keybearer in-training would frown upon remembering the brief clash he had had with his now-former compatriot, and with Riku and Mickey both off on separate quests to gather the remaining forces of Light as well as his fellow pupil Kairi's own inexperience towards the Keyblade, it was pretty clear that they were at a very visible disadvantage when compared to the enemy.

"Master..does **she** know what's happening regarding Sora?"

Yen Sid would shake his head slightly, knowing full-well that Lea's concern for his fellow apprentice was noticeable by the elder Keybearer as he closed his eyes and reflected upon the current situation in his own peculiar way. "I felt it best not to disturb the young lady's training, as I'm sure she would quickly leap at the opportunity to aid Sora despite not knowing where we would even begin to look for him."

The bearded Sorcerer would dispel the current lineup of friends and foes and stand up from his seat as he moved towards the open window of his tower to stare at the sea of stars in the sky, each star representing a world that resided in the Great Ocean of Worlds and hoping that somewhere among them was a place where their wayward Keybearer resided. "I fear however, that such a setback as this one will prove quite the boon for Xehanort. And it is one that we can not afford to endure given how thinly our own forces have been spread, perhaps it is time I leave this tower and venture out into the worlds and find a new Keybearer to help us in our battle against this new Organization XIII." He would stroke his beard calmly, although he could sense the pent up energy from the redhead standing behind him: it was a thirst for adventure and a clear desire to help alleviate the worries of those around him. It was simply a matter of guiding these energies towards something constructive, much as a lightning rod proved effective at drawing the furious energy of nature to power machinery.

"I'll go and explore the worlds after all Master..you're still needed here to oversee Kairi's training!" This would earn a very audible and very disapproving murmur from the now retired Keyblade Master, turning to face the still eager Lea. "What I meant to say was that I know how it feels to be the odd man out in all of this, I can help the newbie acclimate to the situation before you begin their training."

This would pique Yen Sid's curiosity further as he had fully anticipated the young man's petulance, however he had been smart enough to backpedal and spin it to make himself appear more as an advisor instead of someone who was hungry to reach out to different worlds and spread his wings. "Oh? And what of your own training?" He would turn to face Lea with a knowing glower, the man still had yet to properly manifest his Keyblade at will and often fell back upon using the Chakrams that his Nobody, the former Axel was prone to wielding in the heat of battle. "You have yet to even master the basics of your Keyblade, and even still you've no way to traverse the Lanes Between Worlds safely. You no longer have the same abilities as your former self did, and using the Corridors of Darkness can hold great dangers for those who lack the proper defenses against them."

Lea would smirk proudly as he looked over at the Organization cloak that he found himself wearing upon returning to existence within the confines of Radiant Garden, he had ventured these same dangers once before and had no qualms about doing so once again.

"You're right, traveling across worlds can be pretty hairy for your average up and comer."

The redhead's grin would widen as the confidence he felt would increase as he thought back to the girl with the golden mane, she was no doubt strong in body and mind when her mind was focused. This was the kind of strength they now needed more than ever.

"But I think we both know that I'm not the average, hell I doubt even the former Axel could even stand up to the magnitude of such a task. That's why you and the King came to Lea instead, L-E-A..Got it memorized?"

 _ **Love It? Hate It? Should Kairi get involved in the story? Let me know via review or PM. And while you're at it, go vote in the poll on my profile page to ensure more frequent updates from this or any other story you like reading**_


	15. Into the Lions Den Pt 3

_**Disclaimer: RWBY owned by Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts by Square-Enix, psychotic OC is my doing though!**_

Emerald would be awakened by the distinct smell of smoke wandering into her nostrils, the green-haired thief seemed content to just pass the odor off as some left over vestiges of a campfire that one of her unwanted teammates had forgotten to put out and groaned as she forced herself to sit up and deal with the issue at hand.

"Ahh, so my little mole finally decides to awaken at last." The silken voice of her only friend and malevolent leader would finally snap Emerald into a more alert state of mind, shocked to learn that instead of being trapped inside of that chaotic nightmare of a hidden passageway with Sora, she was now sitting on top of a building in Vale with a night sky full of smoke, Grimm, and the screams of innocent people filling her ears.

"What's going on?" The dark-skinned thief would scramble to her feet and join her de-facto team in Mercury and Cinder as they looked down upon the city as the forces of Grimm were tearing into citizens that were either too frightened to have found shelter or were too slow and frail to do so. What shocked her more was that the Atleasian machines that the General had insisted upon bringing for extra security were now mercilessly firing upon the very people they had been programmed to protect, clearly Cinder's little Black Queen had done its job masterfully as the carnage was enough that it even unsettled the thief's stomach. "It's..sad." Emerald would say this quietly, her eyes full of remorse as she watched a little girl clinging desperately to her mother who was bleeding profusely from a Ursa's claw.

"Oh it's horrendous, truly horrendous." Cinder would lean over to her silver-haired compatriot with a satisfied grin, the orange flames of the fires below making her raven-colored hair shimmer with a malevolent grace. "Make sure to focus on the Atleasian Knights." The silver-haired brawler would chuckle and keep the focus of his scroll's camera firmly on the metal troopers, who were cutting a swath of blood through a crowd of innocent people and the students that bravely tried to stand against them.

 _"How is this even happening right now, the plan wasn't supposed to be executed until the Vytal Festival!"_ Emerald would be prepared to voice this very concern when the sound of a disgruntled Mercury would break the silence around them, followed quickly by the sound of Grimm being struck down by a rapid flurry of what sounded like laser fire. _"Did the virus not work? Or is Atlas's programming tech finally kicking in?"_ But as she looked down to survey the landscape below her Emerald would be surprised to see Sora of all people standing in the middle of the fray of snarling Grimm and still reprogrammed Knights, although given the young man's penchant for jumping headfirst into reckless situations in order to save the lives of the innocent this didn't surprise the green-haired young woman too much.

Although what she would hear next changed that sentiment real quickly.

"I told you that killing the redhead in front of him was going to come back and bite you in the ass boss lady, it's the Key-jockey..and he ain't happy." Mercury would begin to lower his scroll when Cinder waved him off, her powers flaring to life as she stepped forward with a sultry smile.

"It's understandable that the boy would come to me, after all…I took away what was most precious to him." Cinder would summon her glass sabers and leap down to meet her spiky-haired opponent, the hollow clink of their weapons clashing against each other reverberated loudly throughout the area. The tan-skinned girl would be in shock as Mercury gave a joyous laugh at the battle unfolding in the streets below them, until this moment she had pretty much followed Cinder out of loyalty and respect for everything the pyromancer had done for her: Before then, Emerald had been a run-of-the-mill pickpocket using her Semblance to cheat people out of their hard-earned (and sometimes ill-gotten) possessions by tricking them with illusions. "What was Cinder talking about Mercury? What did she take away from Sora?" The tinge of desperation in her voice would pique his interest as his focus on the mayhem below them continued, although the task would prove frustrating as Cinder's furious battle with the Keybearer would often threaten to pop into view of the propaganda recording he was making.

"The Nikos girl had taken something Cinder wanted, so the boss and I worked together to take it back from her..by force." He would crack a sick smile as an Atleasian Knight ruthlessly gunned down a frail old man trying to escape the battlefield, a plume of light blasting its way through the machine's chest before collapsing would dispel that smile as quickly as it came.

"That damn knucklehead just doesn't know when to quit!" Mercury would be fuming as he passed off the scroll to the verdant-haired thief as he readied himself. "Keep it focused on the Knights, I'm gonna go take care of some unfinished business!" Mercury would snarl as he leapt down from his vantage point, running along the side of the building to pick up even more momentum before landing on the streets with an audible thud. Emerald's focus was only slightly on the task at hand; the scroll drifting to the now two-on-one battle that was happening between her allies and Sora, Mercury's swift feet were proving to be the difference maker as he was now beginning to tire against the combined might of the duo.

 _"This isn't right, we were only supposed incite enough fear and negative emotion in order for the Grimm to rush this place! Now the Knights are gunning down innocents, the Huntsman and Huntresses aren't exactly being any help, now Sora's desperately fighting Cinder and for what? Killing Pyrrha..Nikos."_ Emerald would drop the scroll as she realized the horrible error of what had happened, remembering their little talk at the campfire about the Keybearer's burgeoning feelings toward the spear maiden.

 _"It's different whenever I'm around Pyrrha: my heart starts getting all fluttery, I tend to forget about whatever I was doing at the time and I feel like I could spend hours talking to her about anything without it getting awkward or boring."_ The way his azure eyes seemed to twinkle as he spoke about her was something that had resonated with the thief, she had show no overall interest in men other than what she planned on taking from their pockets later on. But in her failed attempt to role-play as the overly-polite Huntress in training had given her a sense of how genuine affection from the opposite gender: without ulterior motives that involved theft, or some other baser act that they would seek to subject her to. A flash of fiery orange would snap her out of the flashback as the dark-skinned woman looked down in horror, watching as the spiky-headed hero's weapon hit the asphalt with a hollow sound and his body was reduced to a sea of sparkling embers before being carried off by the breeze.

"Well, at least they both died as they lived: a couple of gullible suckers!" Mercury's taunt would carry up to her ears, not sure how to feel at what had transpired: Their side had won the day, Vale was in shambles, Cinder had ultimate power, and those who could possibly stand in her way had been dealt with..permanently.

And yet all that Emerald Sustrai could feel in a moment such as this was not elation for her mistress, and maybe even the joy of finally being able to put some distance between herself and Mercury until at least the next phase of Cinder's scheme. All she would feel was the heavy bulk of witnessing the guilt of what was essentially an innocent bystander, Sora had played no part in trying to actively stop Cinder, instead he seemed only to do what he did to make sure his friends were safe.

"All he wanted to do was find a way home." The thief's blood would run cold as she recognized the voice coming from behind her, quickly drawing her pistols and opening fire on the now ashen-skinned ghoul that was now Pyrrha Nikos. The once-beautiful prodigy would continue to glare at the thief that helped bring about her end, continuing to speak even as Dust bullets flew through her "body". "Sora was never anything but good to the people around him, he even took a chance on a street rat like you Emerald..and look what became of him." Pyrrha would stare up at the sparkling embers as they floated by with a mournful look in her now hollow eyes, even as Emerald holstered her weapons and glowered back at the ghoul in disgust.

"Shut up! You're not real! None of this is real!" The red-eyed thief would stare down her aggressor as both individuals took a step towards one another, neither one of them bothering to reach for their weapon even though the ghoulish Nikos had no real need to fear anything Emerald would dare try and throw at her given her present condition. "The real Nikos has no literal idea that that spiky-headed goofball even thinks of her, he had a hard enough time trying to confess his feelings to me-pretending-to-be-you! And yet here stands some dead facsimile trying to convince me that not only do you know of the feelings that are running around inside of him, you actually reciprocate them!" At this point the pair would be standing nose to nose with one another with neither side really relenting the scowl on their face, the green-eyed spear maiden would grit her teeth as she stared into the blood red eyes of her opponent.

"Is it too much to ask for you to have faith in a concept that you can't reach out and filch with your grubby little paws?" Pyrrha would find herself being shoved back at the insinuation, a smile hidden from sight as she planted her feet and skidded to a stop as she neared the edge of the rooftop. "Hit a nerve there did I? Well, sorry to break it to you honey..but not everyone is as cynical as you are. Sora believes in something that even I have trouble fully getting behind, that everyone is connected to one another by the strength of hearts." The corrupted Huntress would smile sadly as her body began to start crumbling once anew, her eyes never leaving Emerald's as she continued to fade away into nothing. "You really should learn to open your mind to different ideologies, maybe then you'll see that not everyone is out to use you for your abilities like Cinder is." The thief would lose her composure at that last bit as she growled angrily, upholstering her weapons as she started unloading whatever rounds she had left into the vanishing Huntress.

"You don't know anything about Cinder! She saved me from being nothing! She helped me become who I am today!" Tears would be falling from her eyes as her weapons would click audibly as her Dust cartridges had been rendered empty, sinking to her knees in emotional and physical exhaustion as the city continued to burn around her.

Blake couldn't even recall how long it had been she had last tasted a meal.

Ten Hours?

Maybe twelve?

It was hard to keep track of such things when the only light that shone in the barren room she found herself chained in was offered up by a few paltry torches, but as school (and life) had reasonably taught the cat-eared Huntress, Faunus had remarkable night vision and it was something that helped her fill in the widened gaps that torchlight just couldn't seem to reach.

 _"It figures that my former brothers and sisters would just throw me in a darkened room with the rest of the dung, they probably think it's what a traitor like me deserves at this point."_ The raven-haired woman would look over at her hands, nonplussed to find that she was still bound to the unique "Tension Dust" chains that Adam's new little sidekick had seemingly managed to concoct on her own. "So much for trying to force my way out of this mess, I can only hope that the others aren't in as disgusting of circumstances as I am." Blake would sigh quietly and reflect upon the speculated fates of her fellow teammate: Coco was indeed a well-trained Huntress and an attractive woman to boot, such traits would not go unnoticed by those higher up in the White Fang's chain of command: at best, she could probably be used as a very pricey bargaining chip against Beacon Academy or even her own family depending on just how wealthy they were. And in the more dire of scenarios she would either make a very pretty looking martyr that would be beheaded in the White Fang's next viral video upload, or a fate that was so vile, so repulsive, that it would only be depicted in the more lewd and obscene versions of Ninjas of Love, the ones that carried the explicit red band trailer along the spine.

She would shudder at the thought of her classmate being used in such a manner, but given the direction that the renegade group of Faunus had seemed to be taking on prior to the cat Faunus severing ties with them and trying to forge a new place within Beacon, she didn't think anything would seem too far out of bounds for them.

"Aww is the kitty trying to have a private moment with herself?" The familiar giggle of a certain lynx Faunus that she was already beginning to despise before the door to her prison chamber fully swung open to let in the first blast of true light she had encountered since the few minutes before the team had been captured, Lyla would happily skip her way inside of the room while another grunt would quietly walk beside her while trying not to step in the piled up fecal matter and various other fluids that dotted the area. "I knew I should've left one hand unchained for your benefit but Adam was so insistent that you would use such a generous boon as a chance to escape, but I know better than anyone what you would've used it for." The platinum-haired Faunus would smirk sadistically before leaning in close and letting her hot breath caress the nape of her fellow feline's neck. "After all, no one knows what a woman wants more than another woman."

Lyla would dig her claws into Blake's back with an audible hiss before instructing the grunt to lay down the food tray that he had someone managed to bring in with them. "You'll have to forgive the lack of fish, we decided to offer them up to another one of our…guests, and because of this I can now accurately conclude that wolves do indeed hate FISH!" She would stomp her feet down indignantly upon finishing her statement, although this bit of information would prove to be intriguing to the captured bookworm as she smiled silently at imagining the wolf's vehement refusal to step foot into a sushi restaurant while Yang had been trying to woo him at one point (At least, that's what the blonde CLAIMED to be doing.) and only acquiescing to accompanying the black and yellow themed huntresses inside after informing him about the tempura, crab puffs, and (what eventually got him in the door.) the calamari. However this action would not slip by unnoticed by her captors as Lyla narrowed her aquamarine eyes in suspicion as she carefully tilted Blake's face upward to get a better look at the mocking smile that was now being cast in their direction.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that I had managed to crack a wonderful joke." The frustrated Lynx would stomp down on Blake's ankle hard, but not hard enough to break anything major due to her master's continued infatuation with the captured Huntress. "Now what's so funny?!" The grunt would clear his throat audibly as he noticed the frenzied and almost crazed tinge to the smaller woman's voice, even as the lynx's tail smacked against his leg in annoyance.

"Well, if the wolf we're talking about is the same one that I'm thinking of then let me tell you now..calamari would've been the better option in that instance." Again Blake's mind would drift back to the trip to the sushi restaurant and the look on the amber-eyed young man's face as he cautiously bit into the calamari that had been presented to them, those same eyes bugging out in complete euphoria as soon as he had swallowed the first bite of the dish. _"Man, the breading they use really gives it a wonderful crunch! I mean it's still as rubbery as an old tire but I can get behind this after a bit!"_ That was one of the few times that she had allowed herself to feel a modicum of respect towards her normally antagonistic classmate, seeing less of the bullheaded berserker that she had become familiar with during the sparring matches at Beacon and seeing shades of a more softer side to the man. "Then again, I doubt he would take very kindly to you buttering him up at all. Last I checked, he wasn't really a fan of obnoxious blondes."

Lyla would be seething visibly as Blake continued to smile wistfully even in such dire circumstances, as if she were reliving memories of happier days in her life rather than being chained to a wall and on the wrong end of an interrogation. "You impudent little bitch, I don't get what the Master sees in you!" The lynx would wrap her petite hands around Blake's throat violently as she began to strangle the life out of her fellow feline, the silent grunt having decided to act and pry the combative Faunus off of her prey as she continued to rant and scream at the top of her lungs. "You LEFT **HIM!** You left him and yet he still pines for you like some deranged groom that's been ditched at the altar!" The thought of Adam and herself standing together at the altar was enough to make the raven-haired feline dry heave in disgust before finally looking at her jailer with some pity.

"That's because he's too fixated on his own wants and needs to appreciate all that you do for him, take it from someone who once stood where you did at one point in her life: Serving Adam blindly as you are now will only lead to heartbreak and disappointment, his only priority in life is to establish Faunus dominance, not the equality he preaches to you on a daily basis." Blake would sigh sadly as her words echoed along the walls of her prison, the silent grunt even looked at her in befuddlement as he mulled over his ex-compatriot's words. "I'm not going to sit here and pretend that peace between the Faunus and the humans can't be attained, it can be done..but only if both sides are willing to swallow their pride and meet one another halfway." The yellow eyed Faunus would smile hopefully as the taller man seemed to be moved by her words, after all he had only decided to join the White Fang in order to avoid dying in the streets of Mistral following the loss of his parents due to sickness. However before he could voice any of this to his captive orator, he would feel the cold bite of Lyla's Tension Dust chain wrap around his neck as he struggled to breathe.

"And what exactly is wrong with being the **dominant** species in Remnant?" The platinum-haired Faunus would grin sadistically as she had looped her chain around her fellow Faunus's neck and was now pulling back against him violently, as if she were trying to reign in a frenzied horse that was now thrashing and bucking in an attempt to get her to release him. "The humans are afraid of us **AND** the Grimm, and we have the numbers to make hunting those mindless creatures into a sport!" She would cackle maniacally as she pulled back upon her chain once more, not stopping until she heard an audible snap from her now-former ally's neck as he crashed to the ground in a lifeless heap. "As far as I'm concerned, that makes those meat sacks the low end of the totem pole. So why not ship them off to Menagerie like they tried doing to us? Why don't we watch as they struggle to survive day to day by stealing from and killing their fellow humans?" Lyla's expression would get progressively darker and more malevolent as she spoke, the chain she had used to kill the grunt now retracting into a compartment hidden somewhere below her gauntlets. "And why don't we let our men have their way with human women while we force their children to watch with their eyelids pried open, making sure they remember every sick, twisted, little detail on mama's face as the deed is done, watching mama mouth a prayer to whatever false God is above us and imploring them to intercede and end the pain, and then watching the tears fall from her eyes as the realization finally sets in that maybe..just maybe, God doesn't give a **FLYING FUCK** about the lesser species!"

By the time the lynx had finished her increasingly psychotic rant, Blake realized that no amount of reasoning would pierce the veil of dark hatred and loathing that had encased the younger woman's heart like a shell of bigotry.

And that she now sat at the mercy of a partner most deserving of a twisted and corrupted soul such as Adam Taurus.

Sora could feel the ache in his body as he did he best to heal the wounds he had acquired during the last leg of their perilous shortcut: the buzzsaws had gotten faster and less predictable in where they would appear, the pillars of fire that had previously blocked their path were now burning with a blindingly white intensity that had nearly set his spiky-hair ablaze on more than one occasion, and the stinging bite of the drones lasers were enough to bring even the hardiest of men to their knees in agony.

And yet he had endured that nightmare of a journey while lugging an unconscious Emerald across his back in a fireman's carry, taking the hits that would sail too close to her prone body before finally managing to reach the lone safe area of this "Shortcut". And even then he still found himself feeling very uneasy at how open and expansive the area around them was, which was why he cast Curaga on his aching body, willing the cuts to close, his burns to soothe, anything he could to bring himself to as close to in-fighting shape as he could.

"It isn't right…wasn't supposed to kill everyone..it's horrible!" Emerald would cry out suddenly, causing the battered Keybearer to lose his focus on healing as he looked to his friend in concern.

Neither individual aware of the beast that lay beyond the walls of the door ahead of them, its instincts ignited by a rush of negative emotions that had leaked down from the floors below. The giant Grimm would pace its Dust-enhanced cage in annoyance as it licked its chops hungrily, hoping that whatever lay beyond the doors was savory enough to sate its ever-growing hunger.

 _ **Next Chapter: Sora & Emerald vs. the Nemean Grimm, another quick trip back to Beacon (now with 5% more Lancaster Teasings) and our unlikely duo FINALLY getting inside the base!**_


	16. Nemean

_**Merry Christmas People!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Kingdom Hearts to Square-Enix, Bálor to me, and the lion (Nemean) Grimm to BlazCrazFace1735**_

Emerald would groan quietly as she slowly regained consciousness, not expecting to see the spiky-haired Keybearer leaning over her with a worried look upon his face after how she had been treating him up until she had been knocked unconscious.

 _"Damn kid, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you know we're enemies, a thief like me isn't meant to be trusted."_ Her mind would flashback to her earlier hallucination of the destruction of Vale: Atlysian Knights reprogrammed by Cinder's Black Queen virus to attack the spectators alongside Adam Taurus's White Fang troops, and those who had been friendly toward her being killed leaving an irate Sora as the last vanguard against Cinder's machinations. But it wasn't the easygoing, goofily grinning Sora who had been traveling with her, this Keybearer had had the most important person in his life taken away from him and was on a grief-stricken rampage against those who would cause anymore loss of life. So infuriated was her mistress Cinder at this sudden monkey-wrench to her plans that she went in to battle with the Keybearer, aided by her recently stolen Maiden abilities she and the spiky-headed young man went blow for blow against one another. It wasn't until Mercury decided to interfere in the fight that things went south for the azure-eyed young man and eventually even he met the same end that his friend had, she remembered the hesitation and sadness she felt as she witnessed his passing.

 _"And yet here you are, worrying about me like we've been friends all our lives…like an adorkable idiot."_ Her vision would finally clear as she groaned and reached for her head as it throbbed in agony, struggling to get up to a sitting position.

"Hey, take it easy. You were just knocked out by an electric shock, you could be hurt!" Sora would frown thoughtfully, his curative magic was definitely useful for bringing downed allies back in the middle of a fight (even if it drained a fair bit of his energy to use it.) so Emerald would be fine after a few minutes, although he intended to use that time to finally get some straight answers out of the green-haired thief before they proceeded any further into this death trap. "I haven't seen any traps in this room at all and I made sure to check every inch of the place, nothing at all..not even in the vents." The spiky-headed young man would finally allow himself to rest since he had first begun the mad dash through this so-called shortcut.

"How did we even make it this far in, don't tell me you somehow managed to carry me the entire way here. Not with your scrawny frame, that's just not possible-" Emerald would say this jokingly at first, but the joking tone would die upon seeing just how exhausted the Keybearer was. "You're nuts you know that..absolutely nuts, any sane person would have left me behind and proceeded on with the mission. A few casualties here and there isn't exactly uncommon in our line of work, if it isn't the Grimm that take us out then it's something or someone who happens to get the better of us." The verdant-haired girl would frown in thought as she recalled various instances in which Cinder or Torchwick would deal with those members of the cause who either refused to carry their weight or got a little too ambitious for their own good, normally such a task would be done by friendly forces in the area (even though their true purpose in doing so was to curry favor with the higher ups and hopefully get moved from their current position to somewhere more agreeable, although there were some special cases where Torchwick himself would be dispatched to deliver proper retribution. Although even then he had managed to duck out on such responsibilities and then it would fall to herself and Mercury to pick up the slack and finish thing, such was the case with the mild mannered Tukson who ran a local bookshop and was a sympathizer to the White Fang's "noble" cause until one day he had decided he'd had enough and tried to book a one way trip out of Vale. "A bit of advice for you kid, sometimes it's just best to get in, get the job done, and book it. Emotions will only weigh you down in the end." She would sit up slowly and start trying to work the kinks out of her recently recovered self, unaware that the azure-eyed young man was now looking at her with a saddened expression as she finished loosening herself up.

"That's such a sad way to view the world, no one's life should be viewed as expendable no matter what the reason. We're all bound together in this one life by the strength of our faith in each other, and the light of our hearts..it connects us all together. Even if you don't believe it at first." Sora would kip up back to his feet with a knowing smile, certain that Emerald was no doubt rolling her eyes at the words he had just said. But that was just fine with him, he had won over many an ally to with his peculiar mannerisms and optimistic attitude and Emerald would just be one more in an insanely long list if he had anything to say about it. Sora would start making his way up to the door alongside her, summoning the Keyblade and feeling the familiar tightness of anticipation in his chest as he heard her readying her own pistols.

 _"Hang on guys, we're almost there!"_

Days.

He had only been trapped inside this cramped and darkened cell for days, but to the injured and battered wolf-Faunus known as Bálor Moonlight it felt like he had spent years staring at the same blank wall and regretting his decision to accept Ozpin's assignment right off the bat.

It started off as any other Thursday appointment with Ozpin and Goodwitch tended to, with the bespectacled woman trying to pick around inside his head while he deflected her questions with useless banter.

"I keep telling you Miss Goodwitch, I don't have a relationship with my father because my father was in fact a drunken fish capable of fertilizing his own eggs." The silver-haired young man absolutely despised these sessions almost as bad as the shrink did, he knew for a fact that Goodwitch probably screamed herself hoarse following these appointments as she was never quite up to speaking for the rest of the day afterwards. "Anything else about my family you care to poke at while we're here, because I think I had an uncle who was a sword swallower in the circus..at least I hope he was a sword swallower." He would shudder as his mind drifted to darker and less kosher thoughts involving objects being swallowed, shaking his head to dispel such awkward thoughts as he turned to look at his psychological torturer in her admittedly vibrant green eyes and be perplexed that instead of being revolted by his innuendo as usual she would instead sport a knowing smile.

"As a matter of fact I do have some questions concerning your family, just not the unfortunate one that brought you into the world." Glynda would make a note of his flummoxed reaction, taking a few extra moments to savor and memorize the expression before deciding to press him further. "You and Miss Rose seem to have a very healthy and blossoming relationship occurring as of late, but I'm curious as to how you'd handle another male stepping in on your.."territory" as it were." The blonde Huntress could be barely contain her excitement as his normally laid back façade seemed to falter as he mulled over the thought.

"W-well, it's not uncommon for girls to have guy friends. Heck it's how I got started with Ruby when I first started here, after all you just can't win someone's right off the bat..that only happens in really crappy romance novels about vampires and werewolves." Bálor would seemingly calm down after giving his response, he had no reason to believe that Ruby would even be remotely romantically interested in one of the other guys at Beacon Academy. After all they had gone through Hell just to cement their relationship in place: From him keeping her out of jail by bribing the employee's of a sub shop to keep from blabbing about the crimsonette's little tantrum over not having cookies, to a very awkward number of run-in's with her older sister Yang, the Couple's Dance that saw him give a well-meaning speech about going after someone you love while being unable to follow his own advice and retreating to the dorms afterwards, to Ruby saving his life from an assassin that they would later learn was hired by her own partner. The two of them had weathered the many storms his life seemed to want to throw at them, and as a result their love was strong enough for both sides to make some major changes in one another's lives.

"That's true, it's completely acceptable for young women to have male friends while being in a committed relationship with another man. But I bet if I asked this question to those individuals, I'm guessing we could find at least one male friend in their partner's list of friends that gives them apprehension when it comes to being romantically linked with." The green-eyed instructor would watch as the amber eyed Faunus continued to fidget underneath the implied weight of her questioning, no doubt going over the list of Ruby's male acquaintances and assessing their individual threat to the stability of their relationship. "Surely there must be someone in Ruby's life that strikes the same apprehension in your heart as well, perhaps someone like…Mister Arc." She had chosen the name off of the top of her head knowing that Teams RWBY and JNPR were fairly close and courteous with one another, but as she watched his hands tense into tightly wound fists Glynda knew she had struck a nerve that even her patient was unaware that existed. For while the body became a tensed from of pent-up aggression, his amber eyes would remain passive and calm.

"I believe in Ruby, even if I were flung to the far reaches of Remnant and struck blind, deaf, and dumb I would never doubt her loyalty to me." His amber eyes would gleam with the heat of his convictions, but this would only cause the spectacled Huntress's smile to grow as she made a few more notes before standing up from the plush chair she had been sitting in.

"I find it particularly ironic that you would bring up being flung to the far reaches of Remnant, and I sincerely hope that your fevered ranting holds true after today." Goodwitch would saunter out of the office as Ozpin made his way in with a familiar manila folder, it was a clear sign that the Headmaster had a mission for him and that the wolf would have to put these doubts aside in order to complete the task at hand and deal with his personal issues after the wheels of the Bullhead touched down on the landing pad once things were finally settled and squared away.

But as he stared at the blank wall across from him the doubt would begin to slowly creep in, not for their relationship but in himself as an individual. _"Goodwitch may have pressed a button by mentioning Jaune as some kind of a romantic threat, but he's got Pyrrha..and she's a freaking knockout with the mind of a genius and moves that would put even seasoned soldiers to shame!"_ But the doubt would persist as his mind played back instances where the red-hooded girl had to intervene for his less then tactful actions in society: From beating down CRDL just for stealing a cookie from her during lunch in the dining hall, to even butting heads with Yang when it came to moving into the same dorm room together to even the recent Willow Incident. _"What if the thing that breaks up our relationship isn't another guy, but having to deal with another stupid mess that my own selfishness causes?"_ The darkness of negativity would begin to wrap itself around the silver-haired Faunus's heart like a constrictive blanket, unbeknownst to him that very same darkness was the very thing that would call forth a sleeping giant.

Sora and Emerald would spare each other a knowing glance before reaching to place the stolen White Fang scroll into the ID reader when a rumbling from below would cause them to stop and draw their weapons while searching the room carefully, the rumbling getting more intense as the thief and the keybearer would start getting just a little bit nervous at the approaching threat.

"Something doesn't feel right here Em, I think we should just put in the ID and get out of this death trap..lord knows it's given us enough grief to last a couple lifetimes." His azure-eyes would sweep the room cautiously while waiting for the green-haired Huntress to open the door and allow them a chance to escape, the rumbling only growing in intensity as he looked down to his feet in growing certainty of the situation at hand. "Any time you wanna open the door Emerald!"

The thief would grit her teeth in annoyance as she tried to scan the ID properly, although the trembling from underground with keep her from holding the scroll steady enough for the reader to grant her access. "It's no good, all this trembling's messing with the machine. We'll just have to blast it-" The rest of her suggestion would be cut short as the ground beneath them split apart to reveal a massive lion shaped Grimm with a thick black mane, bone plates covering its face and front of each of its legs, and three fearsome bladed tails. "Okay, this was definitely not in the schematics for this hell hole!"

She would look to see Sora just as surprised as she was, although he would be quicker to adjust and leap into action while she was still trying to get a grasp on what they were facing. "Definitely not your average Grimm that's for sure!" The thief would quickly begin firing shots at the beast's eyes and any other place that wasn't covered with armor, spying Sora overhead trying to hack away at the creature's back with his strange Key-shaped weapon. However his efforts would be rewarded with a hard smack to the face with the flat of the Grimm's tail while she was forced to dodge and narrowly avoid being cut apart by the remaining two.

"Ugh, man that thing hits like a truck." The spiky-haired young man would unleash a flurry of quick strikes to the Grimm's legs only to feel the hard clang of armor plating deflecting the blows, or at the very least lessening the damage behind them. "Shoot, if only Goofy were here! His shield would be a big help in breaking through this armor!" He would roll away just in time to avoid being swallowed up by the lion's massive jaw and remembering a time where he himself had a similar body, in that world he had to help his friend Simba reclaim Pride Rock from its usurper king (and Simba's own uncle) Scar, who had seized power following the death of its previous king Mufasa, who as it turned out had been murdered by the aforementioned usurper. _"Man what I would give for a giant form of that body right now! Then I could go toe-to-toe with this thing and bash IT around!"_

While Sora was busy lamenting the lack of unique, world-specific abilities, Emerald would be busy trying to figure out with this Grimm had BLADED tails, the only other type of Grimm that even came remotely close was the Deathstalker and its tail was brutally difficult to deal with. But as she bobbed and weaved her way through the sword-tails, she would notice that this Grimm had no such luxuries as they were connected by small packs of black muscle that appeared vulnerable. "God help me if I'm wrong about this, but right now it's our best shot at escaping this nightmare!" The red-eyed Huntress would use one of her sickles to cut one of the tails free, not expecting the beast to roar in pain and stumble forward as if stunned. "Well that's awfully convenient! Guess there's only one thing left to do!" Emerald would grin maliciously as she went to hack off the remaining tails, only for them to become serrated and spin like circular saws as they defended the downed creature and themselves.

"Emerald! Hang on!" Sora had been hacking at the Grimm's armored face as best he could, but upon witnessing his friend in trouble he would use the face as a springboard and leap over to shield Emerald with a reflect spell before spiriting her to safety. "What the heck's going on back here, he seemed like he was out cold on my end but the tails are going haywire-" Before either side could properly explain their situation, an angry roar was heard as the lion Grimm awoke and immediately tried to mutilate the duo with its tails but only succeeding in hitting the wall and sending down a shower of sparks.

"It's the tails, if we cut one away we can stun it for a bit and hack away at the soft spots. At least until it wakes back up and-" Emerald would stop talking as they each rolled away from the murderous appendages, only this time it would be her turn to face the lion's crushing jaws while Sora had the unenviable task of severing a tail. "I'll distract him, just make sure to get it in one clean strike!" The thief would quickly start hacking her way at the busted pieces of face plating while Sora was forced to dodge the saw tails and wait for his shot at an opening, finally seeing one after managing to deflect one tail into a wall so hard that its blade become stuck, giving him an opportunity to sever it from its master's body and sending the lion sprawling to a dazed heap as he started wailing away at the remaining appendage, only to find that its' hide had toughened considerably to the point that not even the Keyblade could scratch it. "Crap, how am I supposed to cut it off now!?" He could tell by the rumbling he felt through his feet that they were running out of time, and that the beast would rise to fight once more. But that was when he'd notice it, the first tail lying only a few feet away, if he made a mad dash and lifted it…Before his mind could finish forming the thought in question, his body would already be running toward the tail. Only to be blocked by the final tail which had grown to twice its size, as for the lion Grimm itself, well it would begin to stand up once again.

Only this time it would stand up on its' hind legs while its' front legs became armored claws which held the final blade in hand.

"Oh that's NOT cool!" Emerald would pout before having to run just to void being crushed by the giant tail blade, wondering why Sora hadn't severed it when they had an opportunity to do so. "How the Hell do we kill a giant?!" She would try her best to attack the Grimm's legs, but her sickles would do little to penetrate its surprisingly tough fur and earning a defiant roar in response. "If I can't cut you, then I'll just have to shoot your freaking face off!" She would switch her weapons to their pistol form and start pelting the oversized feline with bullets, not surprised to see that even that proved ineffective.

Sora on the other hand would struggle to lift the bladed tail up off the ground, grunting and feeling his muscles protest against the task at hand. "This is unreal, just how the heck am I supposed to lift this monster? The only way I could even begin to lift this is if I made it lighter!" The lion Grimm would roar as he shielded its face from Emerald's bullets, leaving Sora to figure out how to lift the massive weapon. He had managed to lift up a cluster of Large Bodies once with magic, he could only hope that such a gamble would pay off as he prepared a Zero Graviga spell. _"Here goes everything!"_ He would channel the gravity lightening magic onto the severed tail, crying out happily as the blade rose into the air and directed it to sever the final tail as the giant Grimm roared in agony and fell to its knees as an opportunistic Emerald shot the remainder of both her weapons clips into both eyes and not stopping until it started to disappear slowly and painfully as she panted in exhaustion.

"See, this is why I freaking hate cats! Stubborn little bastards!"

Sora would look at her with a slack-jawed and dumbfounded expression, not knowing how to react to her statement he was just glad they had survived

 _ **Folks, I'm gonna keep these notes short and simple: it's christmas, 3;37 am. my back is killing me. I have a poll up on my profile page letting you decide what direction I take future stories in? RWBY? Black Rock Shooter? Hyperdimension Neptunia? Freezing? More crossovers like this? Cast a vote!**_

 _ **Happy holidays to you and yours**_


	17. Prison Break Pt 1

_**Alright people, important announcement at the end of the chapter**_

Blake would groan as she heard her stomach growling in protest as she stared down at the empty food tray, it had only been an hour since Lyla had accompanied a White Fang soldier into the room with her. And while the food in the tray would eventually be eaten by the rodents infesting the base, the guard had been left there in a lifeless heap simply because Adam's little bitch needed someone to vent her anger against humanity as well as the raven-haired Huntress's former relationship with her leader. _"If I just had a bit more time, maybe I could've won that soldier over and he'd be helping us escape right now."_ She would sigh quietly, wondering if there were others like the dead man on the floor: Unsure of what they had been told, fighting only because they had bought into the sweetly laced propaganda that Adam and others had laid out before them. _"There has to be a way to turn it against him, to win their hearts over to our side. Even if it means I have to do it alone."_ The feline could feel a fire building up inside her as she thought about how best to escape the chains binding her hands together, trying to muscle her way out of the chains was impossible as they'd only tighten against her struggles. But it was the only way she could think of to break free, the chains had to be anchored somewhere, and even if she couldn't release herself by normal means there was always the same kind of twisted logic that humans used to release themselves from handcuffs.

And so she began to pull against the chains as hard as she could, biting her lips to keep from screaming in agony as the Tension Dust-infused metal clamped down upon her wrists with every passing second as the feline Faunus tried to make her way over to the fallen guard in hopes that he had the keys to her escape. "It's like trying to squeeze through a narrow passage that you're way too big for! It keeps getting harder to move the further-" Blake would cry out in agony as she felt her wrists snap under the grip of her chains, her hands now resting limp within their confines as she slumped to her knees and cried quietly as the last vestiges of her hope seemed to disappear from the once defiant yellow eyes.

Sora would sigh tiredly as he and Emerald carefully made their way inside the White Fang's base, their bodies still a little battered and tired following the clash with the Nemean Grimm as the pair peeked around the corner to find various cells left unguarded.

"Guess this is where the White Fang keep all of their prisoners." The sandy-haired young man would summon his Keyblade and point it to the first door, a small stream of light shooting from the tip as the door unlocked much to thief's surprise as she moved to draw her weapon slowly.

The door would creak open slowly as a haggard and beaten down Faunus slowly made his way out, not expecting his liberators to be a couple of teenagers but doing his best to look grateful nonetheless. "Thank heavens, I'm finally free of those brutes." The Faunus man would try to stand, his legs wobbling visibly before stumbling back to the ground in pain. "Those damn Faunus refused to feed me anything, even though I've done nothing against them myself. It's all just because I'm the leader of a town that's primarily filled with anti-Faunus rights people!"

Emerald would scoff as she held Sora back from helping the emaciated prisoner up, looking into his steel grey eyes without saying a word. "Sounds like they had the right idea, a biggot like you deserves to be sitting here in a White Fang cell. Definitely something deserving of your so-called karma." She would plant her foot down on the injured man's chest and point her pistol at him and level the second at the keybearer, hearing his growl of protest. "Sora, do me a favor and check the other cells for any sign of our friends. This is still technically a rescue mission after all." She would wait until the spiky-haired young man was well out of range before kneeling down on his chest and looking at the prisoner coldly. "Now you're going to tell me what you're really doing here… Mercury."

The prisoner's grimace of pain would slowly melt into a knowing grin as his haggard appearance shimmered before returning to his normal apparel as the mint-haired Huntress dug her knee in further before lowering her voice to a whisper. "What the fuck are you doing here, I thought Cinder said she would contact me the next time I needed to report in!"

The silver-haired young man would grin mischievously but wincing at the increased pressure on his chest by her knee, shoving her away before getting to his feet and sighing. "She did contact you for a report, twice. When you didn't pick up the second time that's when I got sent here and told to plat prisoner until you and the merry band of idiots showed up, which I knew you would because there's no way you'd try and deviate from the plan and disappoint Cinder now would you?" He would watch her expression with a smug grin as her face contorted and twisted into one of doubt, the idiot made no bones about how deep her loyalty to the pyromancer ran even to the point where she tried to protest his joining their group. He still got a chuckle out of seeing her get smacked in the face for questioning Cinder's decision, his face slowly becoming one of a malicious grin as Emerald glared back at him before bolting off as Sora called out for her assistance.

"Hey! I found Coco and the others! Does the supply bag you're carrying have any food in it?" The azure-eyed boy wouldn't see any sign of Mercury thanks to her quick thinking of turning her Semblance on him, and giving her best smile before jogging over to his side and leaving a still grinning Mercury behind as she looked inside the cell to find it strangely empty.

"Sora there's nobody here-" She would gasp as she felt the bags being snatched from her before being kicked inside the cell and hearing the door slamming shut before whirling around furiously to see him staring back at her through the cell bars. "Sora what the hell are you doing we don't have time for this, we still need to find the others and get the hell outta dodge!" She would bang against her cell door in annoyance before noticing that he was gone and now letting the others out judging by all the talking and happy barking she was hearing, the noise echoing off the empty halls and causing the tan-skinned thief to ball her fists in tension as she looked outside the bars to see Mercury strolling off with a set of keys and whistling a tune to himself.

 _"What the hell is Cinder doing, what was the point of telling me to play along if she was just going to send Mercury here in the first place?"_

Falling

For Ruby Rose falling wasn't exactly a new sensation in the slightest, from the first fall she had had during the Initiation Test (and nailing a poor bird on the way down) to taking an even bigger fall after having hitched a ride on a Nevermore alongside Weiss and ended up being caught by her big sister Yang. But this was a totally different situation from those entirely as the silver eyed girl found herself falling toward the sky instead of the ground, only to see a flash of white before feeling a pair of soft but strong arms wrap themselves around her in order to stop her fall.

"Wait, what's going on here? Where am I?" The crimsonette would look around worriedly as she tried to wriggle free from whomever was holding her, only to finally look up and see another pair of silver eyes looking back at her. "Your eyes..they're just like mine." Ruby would reach up to pull back the hood and see crimsonette colored hair followed by a warm and loving smile by an older version of what appear to be herself, leaving her all the more perplexed and confused by the situation. "M-mom? Where am I, and how are you here?" The red-hooded girl was about to ask yet another question before Summer shook her head quietly and hugged her daughter close to her, leaving Ruby to gasp as she felt her mind being flooded with images of her friends in various times of peace and combat. There were some that she knew had already happened, like Teams RWBY and JNPR fighting against both a Death Stalker and Nevermore during the initiation test and Team RWBY infiltrating the White Fang base below Mountain Glenn to events that had yet to occur such as Yang coming to blows with the silver-haired boy from Haven in an Arena full of people to Sora and Pyrrha fighting against a woman draped in darkness as the Spear Maiden used powers that no normal being should have.

"What is going on, why are you showing me this?!" Ruby would cry out suddenly as she bolted awake to find herself laying in the dorm room she shared with her friend Sora and the wolf Faunus who had won her heart through nothing but blunt honesty and maybe a stroke of dumb luck, her heart would still be racing as the images that her mother had shown her were still running fresh through her mind. "What was with that dream, why was I falling..? Why did my mom show me those things?" Her hands would tremble with fright, instinctively she would reach for the jacket that belonged to Bálor and drape it around herself, finding solace in the familiar musk he wore only when he was about to make a big entrance. "Where are you, why haven't you come home yet?" She would wrap the jacket tighter around herself as tears began to flow freely, it wasn't in her nature to cry after a nightmare (at least before she started training at Signal with her Uncle Qrow) but with her friends being called away on a rescue mission, Ozpin's bombshell concerning the existence of the Heartless, as well as her more recent interactions with Jaune and how he was becoming increasingly flustered whenever they were together. "I just want things to go back to the way they were before this stupid mission!" The crimsonette would sob quietly into the jacket, wishing with all her heart that her friends were all back beside her.

He could hear her sobs deep in the depths of his heart, a noise that always chilled him to the bone and caused his blood to boil whenever he heard it. The wolf was very protective of his little red hood, and woe befall whatever moron decided to make her cry as he would hunt them down without mercy and with ruthless efficiency as he was raised to do.

He may have been born a simple boy in the deserts of Vacuo to a drunk of a father and an unbalanced mother, but the power mad forces of the military in their haste to build Huntsman and Huntresses that could stand against any in the Four Kingdoms had molded him (along with the rest of a select group of children) into a weapon designed to not only topple the creatures of Grimm but entire governments if necessary. Unfortunately Ozpin had seen fit to scoop the boy up and bring him to Beacon before the latter objective could be realized, and by placing him in an environment where he could act normally with kids his own age could the scars that such a harsh upbringing accrued begin to heal.

However as he opened his ears to find that the sounds of sobbing were not in his heart but coming from the cell across from him, to him it was a definite boon that the source was a lot closer then he was expecting because the idea of traveling back to Beacon Academy in the buff was not an appealing one.

 _"Can't waste anymore time here, must break free and stop the tears..then after that I need to find out who caused her to cry and break their goddamn spine!"_ Bálor could feel the heavy darkness trying to drag him down to the depths of despair once again by echoing the earlier doubts concerning his rage being the source of future relationship woes but the sobs would drown out all logic as he tried to pull free of his restraints, grimacing as they tightened in response to his efforts. "Fine, if that's how you wanna play it." He would focus his Semblance along the chains themselves, if they hardened in response to physical force being applied to them then an outside force such as a Semblance would prove effective in breaking him loose. He would growl as he felt the metal shudder against the repeated attempts to release the captive Faunus, however the metal partition binding the chain to the wall lacked the resilience found in his bindings and eventually gave way as it snapped free and allowed the chains to fall loosely from his hands just as the door opened and a smugly smiling Mercury Black stared at the still nude Faunus.

"Cold in here or is it just always that-" Before he could properly finish that tawdry jape, the angered Faunus would bolt past him and immediately bust down the cell door where the sobbing was emanating. To his surprise it wouldn't be his beloved reaper whose tears flowed free, but rather those of his feline counterpart and fellow team RWBY member Blake Belladonna. His anger would boil anew at how he had felt he had been tricked into believing the woman he loved was in danger, but upon seeing how battered and bruised she appeared to be as well as how limply her wrists hung that fury towards her would be directed at the White Fang soldiers who were no doubt responsible for her condition.

"Hang in there kitten, I'll set you loose." He would lower his voice to a whisper before using his Semblance to break the metal partition with much more ease then his own now that he had eye contact with the target, his ears perking up at the sounds of footsteps and glared around to find Mercury smiling suggestively at the duo. "Either fuck off somewhere else or make yourself useful and find me something to make a splint with!" The wolf would carefully remove the chains, not even bothering with Mercury and instead focusing his attention on Blake and her injuries. "I told Ozpin not to send you guys, the White Fang aren't exactly playing with a full deck anymore." The amber-eyed Faunus would look her over carefully, wincing at the fresh bruises and the slowly healing lash marks. "God Blake what the hell did those monsters do to you?" His query would be rewarded with the softest of sobs as she leaned against him tiredly, under any other circumstance the act would've caused him to backpedal away and growl angrily as she did the same with a venom-filled hiss.

"Ozpin..only sent me…and a few others, because of…my past." She would say this while choking back another sob as she looked up into his amber eyes, not used to seeing him looking worried about her of all people but upon getting a more complete at his own battered and beaten appearance her face would turn red before looking away shyly. "Wh-why the hell are you naked?" The feline would try to crawl away from him, only to feel a jolt of pain as her hands failed to respond and instead lead her to fall into a face full of what she hoped was mud.

"My jailers figured that torture and humiliation would somehow break my spirits, joke's on them because I'm too fucking stubborn to yield to physical violence." He would sigh in annoyance as she refused to face him, causing him to scoop the still-blushing cat into his arms bridal style before slowly making his way outside. "This place is way too quiet for a prison block, are the White Fang always this lax when it comes to security?" The wolf would sniff the air and groan as he immediately caught the double whammy of excrement and death before shaking his head in disgust, opening his ears to hear the sounds of fighting up ahead of them and suppressing a growl as he kept moving. "Besides you and the jackass from Haven who else did Ozpin send out here to rescue me?" Loathe as he was, the wolf would keep sniffing the air inside the prison complex as he had marked his weapons with a musk much like he did with the majority of his belongings.

Blake would groan in protest as she tried to break free of his hold on her but relent and stare up at the piss poor lighting overhead. "Coco, Ruby's dog, a new kid named Sora, but I wouldn't refer to the one from Haven as a jackass…more like a stuck-up bitch. She kept giving Sora so much crap on the plane ride over here." She would turn away from the lights and close her eyes to avoid seeing something she shouldn't have. "Surprised you didn't call me a bitch..you never had a problem doing it before."

He would sigh and shake his head wistfully as he rounded a corner, catching a whiff of the musk in question and picking up the pace in anticipation. "I guess it's because you're growing on me kitten, or maybe the beatings gave me a mild concussion that's causing my brain to act scrambled." The wolf would stop short as a White Fang soldier was blown through the door to find Mercury staring at his weapons like they were some loot that the silver-haired stowaway could make off with. "But I suppose the better question is, how the hell did you manage to find us when you weren't a part of Ozpin's wacky and misguided short list?" The wolf would give a low growl as his grip on Blake tightened protectively, he had no idea what the transfer student's fighting style was but dropping Blake wasn't exactly an endearing option either.

"See, now we could waste time here twiddling our thumbs or you could get dressed and we can work on rejoining the rest of the misfits." He would toss down Bálor's supply bag with a cheeky grin at how defensive the amber-eyed Faunus was being with Blake, knowing full well how much the two despised one another. "I promise I won't try anything funny with your girl, if anything we should probably keep our eyes peeled for reinforcements don't'cha think?" Mercury would saunter his waste past the defiant young man, sparing a glance at Blake's figure out of curiosity and feeling something shove him forward.

"Keep your eyes forward if you're serious about keeping watch!" The wolf would lift his bag up off the ground with his Semblance and make his way inside the store room, taking note of Coco's handbag in the corner as he laid the injured Blake down on the floor and proceeding to dress quickly. _"Now we just need to find the others and get the hell out of dodge so I can detonate the few charges I managed to set around the base, assuming they haven't been found and disarmed already."_ He would finish dressing and retrieve the weapon holster that housed his weapons and attach it to his waist, using his Semblance to return the Eight Blades to the proper places and reveling in the audible "snap" that proceeded it before catching Gambol Shroud leaning in the corner and bringing it over to himself and tying the sash to his waist before turning back to Blake. "Alright kitten, let's hoof it outta here!"

"Yeeahhh about that.." Mercury would assume a fighting stance as the two Faunus exited the store room to find a less then pleasant Lyla wielding her special chains standing in front of the exit as soldiers began surrounding them all. "Guessing queen bitch here might have a problem with that!"

"Well aren't we just the machismo magnet, not only is my Master completely obsessed with you but you've also managed to wrangle in a rabid dog and a filthy human to boot!"

She would hiss as burn dust heated up her chains, wanting nothing more than to roast the feline but fearing Adam's reprisal if even a hair on her precious little head were out of place. "Leave the whore intact, but show the other two no mercy!" The soldiers would prepare to rush in, only for each man to be met with a freely flying Blade of Jaggerjack which quickly returned to hovering beside their master.

"See, I could've just knocked you all out and let the explosives I set up around here go off and you'd feel no pain. But no, you had to go and run down my comrade." A dark aura would begin to form around him as his bruises began to visibly mend, a twisted smile forming on his face before setting Blake down and stepping in front of her prone body.

"And while I don't agree with the infuriating feline on a lot of issues, I think it goes without saying that she isn't some loose tart!" His twisted grin would become more pronounced as he let his fangs show, causing Mercury to do a double take before re-assuming his stance. "But as for you, well I just can't **wait** to see what makes your skinny little butt squeal!"

Sora would be busy looking for the still-missing Faunus with the rest of his team when he heard the sounds of crazed laughter off in the distance and shuddered as a chill crawled up his spine, the Keybearer had left Emerald to stew in a nearby cell for her earlier betrayal as well as the rest of her previous erratic behavior. "Man that was creepy, are all prison's in Remnant full of whack jobs!?" The azure eyed young man would take another step forward as Coco groaned at the state of her footwear.

"Well there's no way I'm going to be able to wear these again once we get back from the mission." She was about to say something else when both of them were cut off by the sounds of Zwei's growling, causing the fashionista to reach for a weapon that wasn't there. "I think we've got company kid!"

Sora would immediately summon the Keyblade as a redheaded man wearing a strange Grimm mask stepped out from behind the corner, nonchalantly drawing his blade as a menacing smile adorned his face.

"So you're the rats who helped bring my darling Blake home, in that case allow me to properly thank you by making your death a slow and painful one!"

 ** _Ladies and gentleman, this is my last update for 2016 and I decided to make it a beefy one just because I could. As some of you are aware, there's a poll on my profile page asking you all to vote on what direction I take in 2017: Do I stick with straight RWBY fics, focus on crossover fics like this one that MAY involve RWBY? Or branch out to one of three other franchises that I've dipped my toe in (Hyperdimension Neptunia, Black Rock Shooter, and Freezing) and while your first instinct is to spam Crossovers just to keep this baby going, be aware that that decision also covers Black Rock Magic, Silent Aria, Machinations of Darkness, and a RWBY/ Valkyrie Profile crossover I have planned (That's right folks, Ruby's gonna die and be drafted into Asgard's war against the Vanir!)_**

 ** _But before you do any voting, I beseech you to REALLY take a look at the offering of my other stories as RWBY hasn't exactly been lighting my world up lately (Granted I'm writing this HOURS before chapter 8 drops) and honestly I might not have the heart to give you any NEW RWBY fics, I'll finish what's up and depending on Volume 4's outcome Dissonance and its planned sequel may be canceled outright._**

 ** _All i ask is that you vote with a fair mind, and if at midnight January 1st Crossovers wins..then I'll give this fic everything I got, same goes for any other poll outcome_**

 ** _Right here is where I usually say "Ta-Ta for now" but today I'd just like to say thank you for sticking with my madness for however long you have, I didn't expect my journey to be this exciting (and terrifying, and paranoia inducing) when I first wrote and posted my first ever fanfic Celebrity last June and I really appreciate all the love and support from anyone who's read a single word I've written, even if it was only for a single chapter._**

 ** _Thank you for giving me a chance_**


	18. Prison Break Pt2

_**Disclaimer: Rooster Teeth owns RWBY, Square-Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, I own the OC's!**_

Sora readied his body for a fight, even as the lunatic laughter behind him seemed to heighten into a noticeable frenzy. He could feel Coco weighing her options silently, nodding silently as she moved to scoop Zwei up into her arms and give the two of them a wide berth.

"You really think that you have any chance of keeping up with my abilities, boy?" The visored Faunus would sheathe his katana, a red energy slowly building up along his body along with an evil grin. "You humans are all the same: cocky to the point of stupidity. That's what makes us Faunus stronger than you, we've had to fight for everything **you** take for granted!" The red aura would billow out like a stale air, weaker folks would already be running at this point, but Sora would only plant his feet firmly into the "dirt" beneath his shoes.

He had faced this kind of swordsmanship twice before: Used by a certain "One-Winged Angel", both of those battles he had been forced to fight alone and on both occasions he had barely managed to survive the onslaught.

"I get it. Humans have been dealing you guys a bad hand for who knows how long but attacking them won't accomplish anything except bring on more violence! You want to be treated fairly? Then you need to treat THEM with the respect that you want!" Sora would tighten his grip on the Keyblade, his eyes quickly devising a plan of attack based on the size and dimensions of the room. "Do the right thing and lay down the sword, I know there are some humans willing to talk this out!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" The angered Faunus would finally unleash the full rage of his technique, the area around Sora being bathed in red even as he planted his Reflega spell with maximum effort. Creating more of a wall rather than the stereotypical bubble to shield the group, although he really had to focus himself in order to keep the spell in effect. "What could a human like you possibly understand about our struggles, the people we've lost, the horrors we've had to endure at the hands of **your kind?!** " Adam would rush forward, seeing that his opponent was solely focused on maintaining his defenses and slashing frantically at the wall, a sneer forming on his face as he heard the young man grimace in pain.

" _Damn it, if I just had my weapon I could back the kid up and give him some breathing room!"_ Coco would ball her fist in anger as the laughter from behind her intensified, followed by the sounds of gunfire. " _I can't let it go down like this, weapon or not I gotta do what I can to give a helping hand!"_ The frustration that had been going through her body slowly turned to a cold focus, watching the masked Faunus's movements and looking for an opening.

"Hrrgh! You really think that the Faunus are the only ones being persecuted!?" The spiky-haired Keybearer would force his Reflega to dispel, sending some of the damage it had accumulated back at his opponent, Adam quickly shielding himself with his blade even as he felt the mud beneath his feet being pushed back to reveal the ground beneath his feet. "I've been to so many other worlds, I've seen so many people in pain and struggle against the hand life dealt them. But unlike you, they've never made excuses for their troubles!?" Sora would grit his teeth and charge forward to meet the bull Faunus in a head on clash, the two of them exchanging heated strikes before pulling back as Adam switched to firing bullets from Blush even as Sora dodged and deflected the projectiles.

"And why should I care about the struggles of other humans, they do nothing but destroy those who are different than they are. We're nothing to them but "lesser beings", what good can possibly come from talking with such narrow-minded scum!" The masked Faunus would switch to his sword, parrying another strike from the Keyblade before being forced back by a flurry of fireballs and glaring at the young man. "The only way for humans to understand us is to know our true strength in battle, when we finally crush them and show them the fear that we've been forced to feel. That's when they'll know which one of us is truly "lesser"

"And what good does that do?" Coco would finally speak up, having had enough of playing spectator to this philosophical sparring session. "The humans treat you like shit, so you thrash them, then you start subjugating them until they're forced to fight back, then the stupid cycle goes on forever and a day. Where does it end big guy, because I'm seeing an endless loop here!" The fashionista would level a glare at the antagonistic Faunus, surprised to hear a cold, mirthless laugh emanating from him.

"Isn't it obvious, it'll be over when you're all dead!" He would grin and level a flurry of slashes at the unarmed fashionista, laughing as she scooped up the dog beside her and ran in the direction of the armory. "That's right scum, run while you can! Once I get through with this brat, I'll hunt you down too!" His attention would shift back to Sora just in time to leap past a sliding strike and counter would another shot from Blush, not surprised to see the spiky-haired boy already off the ground and in a fighting stance.

"Impressive, there's not many humans who can keep up with my abilities." He would take Blush into his offhand and face down the Keybearer, sensing no fear from the azure-eyed teen. "It's a damn shame that you weren't born as one of us, you would've made a fantastic soldier."

Sora's eyes would flash with anger as his grip on the Keyblade tightened. "Yeah right, if I were born as one of you I'd still try to make peace between the Faunus and humanity!" He would take a step forward, the tension hanging thickly in the air as both men waited for the other to make the first move. "What you're looking for is just horrible!"

Adam would snort at his opponent's continued naiveté, deciding to rush forward and finish the fight without another wasted word.

 **RWBYRWBYRWBY**

He was angry, this Lynx was insistent upon getting in the way of his current mission: get the injured kitten out of harms way, and even with the help of this man from Haven, this Faunus and her chains were quickly wearing out their welcome.

"Aww what's the matter little pup, all out of psycho laughter?" She would snap her chain as deftly as an adventurer would crack a bullwhip, lashing out at Mercury to keep him back. "And as for you..well I really just don't like you." The feline Faunus would steal a glance at the injured Blake, the woman's hands laying limply in her lap as she felt the slightest rush of jubilation at the sight.

"Yeah well to be fair, you're not exactly giving off the greatest first impression either lady!" Mercury let off another shot from his legs, hoping to catch her off guard as she was being assaulted by the wolf's swords. "But then again, I'm getting the distinct feeling that I ain't your "type"' He would smirk while stepping out of the way of a chain strike to try and rush in closer to tag her with a snap kick, sneering as she yelped and leaped away.

"Oh GET REAL! I'm into real men, not low-class human swill like you, take the mutt there: If he wasn't so insistent on being a stubborn little bitch then maybe we could've had a little romp in the hay before I slit his throat." Lyla would snare her chain around one of Bálor's sword and fling it back at its owner, nonplussed when the wolf countered with a third sword in his hands. "uh-oh, looks like somebody's starting to run outta gas." She would whip the chain toward Blake nonchalantly, laughing as she flinched slightly, whether it was out of fear or pain didn't really make a lick of difference to her.

"You can make all the little quips you want little girl, but I've seen your type before: Prissy little loudmouths who think they can get away with murder since they got the C.O.'s ear, hate to break it to you golden girl but you're still just a low-level grunt." The wolf Faunus would call his levitating swords back to him, taking a breath and trying to conserve his remaining stamina as he held the sword he was using with both hands. "Little shits like you give real soldiers a bad rep, not an ounce of respect in that fucking body. The other feline might be a major pain in my ass but I'd go to war for her any day of the week, I've tested her mettle myself and believe me..you wouldn't have a chance against her in a fight." A cheeky grin would flash across his face as the wolf Faunus decided to rush forward into the fray, ducking her chain strikes as best as he could, letting one chain wrap around his sword and send it flying into the air as he quickly took out another one.

"You really are a stubborn twit!" Lyla would snarl as she slammed the chain in her right hand down on his shoulder, quickly wrapping the other around the man's sword and yanking it free again. "It seems like the doggie needs to go back on the choke chain!" The feline would grin maliciously as her second chain wrapped around her assailant's hand as he attempted to reach for a sword and gave it a hearty tug, laughing as she heard bones snapping before deciding to lift her second chain and deal with Mercury.

"Seems to me like someone took their eye off the ball!" Mercury would deliver a devastating kick to her gut, sending the lynx Faunus sliding back against the wall while losing her grasp on the tension chains, he would take the opportunity to bring her down with an axe kick only for the sadistic feline to phase through the wall and leave him to hit nothing but air. "Well that's a neat party trick." His quip would be met with nothing but silence as he glanced back at the injured Faunus duo.

" _Where ya looking meat sack?"_ Mercury would go flying back by a sudden punch from a fist sticking out through the wall, disappearing before the silver-haired man could reorient himself and punching him from the opposite wall. " _I'm honestly amazed at how stupid you pieces of crap are, to be taken so off guard by a "party trick" as you so disgustingly put it!"_ Lyla would continue to phase through walls, pelting Mercury with sucker punches while laughing gleefully, her focus was now completely off the other Faunus as they were already rendered useless.

"We..have to help him!" Blake would wince in pain as she struggled to stand up, the hours of torture and lack of a proper meal had kept her weakened even as she tried to force herself to stand.

"And how the hell are we gonna do that kitten, your wrists are shot so you can't use your weapon. I'm pretty much at my limit when it comes to fighting, not to mention that one of my hands are broken." Bálor would grimace in pain as he knelt next to his battered companion, taking his good hand and placing it on her shoulder as he sighed in shame. "Some great soldier I turned out to be, couldn't even manage a simple infiltration mission."

Blake would scoff dismissively, a jolt of pain shooting through her as she went to reflexively cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Really, you're going to choose now to host a little pity party for yourself? We still have a chance to make it outta here, but only if we can work together and restrain Lyla to give Mercury a clear shot at hitting her!" The raven-haired feline would look around the battlefield, smiling as she saw the chains laying on the ground and noticing the shimmering Tension Dust laced throughout it. "I've got an idea, but I'm gonna need your help..Bálor."

The wolf Faunus would follow her line of sight, putting the pieces of her plan together and furrowing his brow in thought. "We're only gonna have one shot at this Blake, that bitch wasn't lying when she said I was running on empty." His vision was starting to blur as a headache began to build up at his temple, the amber-eyed Huntsman in training had been pushed to his limits only one other time.

And this time there wasn't anyone able to bail him out if he failed.

"Mercury! Hold the line, I have an idea!" The wolf would snarl as he readied himself to run, the Haven student gritting his teeth in annoyance as he took another punch to the face. Bruises already beginning to form as he fired another shot at the wall, growling when he had hit nothing but brick. "Time to put this kitty in time out!" The amber-eyed Huntsman would make a break for the nearest chain as Mercury did his best to defend against Lyla's quick strikes, Bálor would grab the chain quickly with his good hand while watching the rhythm of the lynx's movements.

" _Time for the filthy humans to fall."_ The frenzied feline would remove the poisoned dagger from its sheath and slowly phased out of the wall behind Mercury, prepared to stab him in his fancy feet, his main method of striking her and soon to be the source of his ironic downfall. " _For the glory of Master Adam!"_ The lynx would leap out of the wall, hissing in anger as she went in for the kill.

The sudden rattle of a chain would cause her ears to twitch, looking around to see one of her own chains wrapping around her legs and feeling the sudden weight drag her down.

"Now! Mercury, do it now!" The wolf would groan in agony as he tried to keep the chain snaked tightly around her, the Haven student giving her a cocky smirk before slamming his foot down on her head, only to feel something scraping against his metal legs.

"Wh-what the hell kinda human are you?!" Lyla would frantically try to stab his other leg, feeling the same resistance and scraping sensation.

"I'm handi-capable." The silver-haired young man would viciously slam his foot down on the back of her head, rendering her unconscious with a huff "Geez, I forgot how annoying cats are." An annoyed growl would be heard from behind the exhausted Huntsman-in-training. "Present company EXCLUDED!"

 **RWBYRWBYRWBY**

Sora would grunt against the weight of Adam's aggressiveness as their blades clashed in a flurry of sparks, but the Keybearer was nimble and used to head-on fights, dodge rolling from his swipes and delivering the occasional glancing blow with the Kingdom Key before vaulting off the walls to avoid Blush's shots.

"Stop leaping around like a filthy sewer rat and fight!" Adam would unleash a powerful slash while following up with a few shots from Blush, watching as the walls around him crumbled with a satisfied smirk. "Annoying pests like you are no match for a superior being like me." His smirk would die quickly as a flurry of ice crystals would surround him and batter his body, growling as he quickly dispelled the storm with a slash from Wilt before looking back to see Sora holding a pair of strange pistols and flashing a cheeky grin.

"Bet you never saw this coming!" The azure-eyed warrior would unleash a shower of light bullets, looking on shrewdly as Adam slashed through what he could while weaving his way through the rest and making a lunge for the spiky-haired teen. "Got'cha!" Sora would kick Wilt from the bull Faunus's hand before shifting his Keyblade back to its regular form and snatch Wilt from the air and slash down on the red-haired Faunus with both weapons, grunting as Tauraus was left to defend with just Blush as the two fighters hit the ground on their feet.

"Damn brat! You have the nerve to come at with my own weapon!" Adam would growl as he rushed forward to kick the blade free from the young man, who quickly responded by retaliating with a fireball before leaping away and striking back with lightning bolts. "You really have a nagging way of using Dust, but no amount of firepower is going to stop me!" He would fire a shot from Blush, hitting the hand holding his captured sword and grinning as it spun in the air.

"Ugh, that's a new one." Sora would glance at his hand and give it a quick shake before jumping out of the way of Adam's strike, the two of them clashing blades one more time before separating and glaring at one another. "Fighting hate with hate won't solve anything. Please, if you don't wanna talk with the higher-ups in Vale then you can talk to me. I'm a neutral party who's not even from this world, if anyone can look at this from an unbiased perspective it's me!"

"There you go again, saying weird shit like "this world", you speak as though you're not just another human lackey." Adam would keep a defensive stance even as the boy seemed to calm down, seemingly insistent on trying to reason with the bull. "You say that I do nothing but blame the humans for our strife, that I should just sit down and talk things out. Tell me boy, how would you feel sitting down and discussing peace with the people who slaughtered your friends and loved ones? Could you really bring yourself to shake the hands with them, break bread with them, start a family with them?!" The bull Faunus could feel the rush of power as he sheathed his blade, readying himself for another destructive slash while he entertained the young man's foolish attempt to make peace between their species.

Sora would fidget nervously, not having really grappled with such grave subjects so often but knowing that this might be his only chance to end things peacefully.

"I'll admit, doing something like that would probably be the hardest thing for anyone to ask of me. But if it meant that I could keep my remaining friends from dying in a senseless battle..then maybe it would be worth swallowing my pride." The spiky-haired teen would try to imagine himself in a similar situation, friends gone, the world around him in chaos from an enemy that preyed on friend and foe alike while trying to continue to spread himself thin fighting the darkness. "Sometimes you just have to look at the bigger picture, the Grimm are attacking everyone: Faunus and human alike, if the White Fang were to pool their resources and fight alongside humanity..then maybe that could mark the first step on the road to peace!"

Adam would let out a scream of hatred before unleashing a wave of energy from Wilt, rushing forward as Sora dodge rolled again and tried to cut the boy in two, only to feel his blade being pulled back by something else.

"Yeah, I'm not much for Human-Faunus philosophy. But I know when a schmuck is trying to fight dirty." Emerald would be holding back Adam's blade with one of her sickles, a heated glare leveled towards both men, the tan-skinned thief may have been stuck playing goody-goody at Cinder's behest but that wouldn't keep her from exacting revenge on the spiky-haired punk. "And besides, me and the kid here have to have a little talk about "trust issues"

 **RWBYRWBYRWBY**

Mercury would grumble in annoyance as he had to struggle with the weight of the unconscious lynx Faunus, while an already exhausted Bálor did his best to manage an already exhausted Blake who was slung over his shoulder and the handle of Coco's handbag clenched in his teeth.

"Why the hell are we even bringing this brat, she's pretty firmly situated on the "Kill All Humans" bandwagon." The teen from Haven would glare back at the injured wolf, who would only give a low growl of annoyance as he kept walking. "Seriously dude, we should just toss her in one of these cells and be done with it."

The silver-haired Faunus would stop walking and spit out the handbag onto the floor, sighing in relief as he was finally able to speak. "First of all, the bitch can phase through walls so locking her up means jack shit." The amber-eyed Faunus would furrow his brow as his ears twitched at a sound in the distance, looking ahead to see Coco rounding the corner to meet them with an exasperated glare at the state of her handbag. "Secondly, I THINK some of the bombs I set up around this place just decided to auto-arm, and I'm guessing we have about twenty minutes to get the fuck outta here!"

The group would each exchange shocked expressions with one another before turning their focus on the wolf before speaking in unison.

"You did WHAT?!"


End file.
